Healing Attitude
by RegulusBlackIsAHero
Summary: AU. Blaine returns to Dalton Academy and The Warblers in season 4. To get over Kurt, he changes his attitude drastically. But all things fake can break. And every time they do, it's never Sebastian or Hunter or the Warblers there. It's the New Directions. Every time.
1. Blaine Warbler

Blaine smiled as he rushed down to his first impromptu performance since he returned to the Warblers. It truly felt right to sing with them. He wasn't lost. With the New Directions, it had always been Blaine and Kurt or Kurt and Blaine. He'd lost his individuality, and it had taken him too long to realize that.

Now that he had... Well, he wasn't going to be going back anytime soon.

He walked down the stairs, still having an idiot smile on his face and a slight spring in his step.

Just as he stepped off the staircase, a hand on his shoulder stops him.

"Excuse me?" the boy said. Surprised, he turned back.

For a moment, he, irrationally, of course, thought it was Kurt.

In less than a second, that was out of his mind.

But the guy who'd stopped him was someone he knew.

It was also someone from McKinley.

"Finn?" he asked, incredulously.

"Um, hi. Can I ask you a question? I'm new here."

Blaine gritted his teeth, good mood nearly forgotten. He knew what they were trying to do, and he knew it wouldn't work.

Barely refraining from clenching his fists (and no, it wasn't because he was thinking of Kurt... Of course not...) he decided to play along.

Just like that day (it seemed like ancient history,) he held out a hand.

"My name's Blaine."

Finn looked at Blaine with astonishment. Blaine nearly rolled his eyes. Who's bright idea was it to send Finn, anyway? He truly didn't seem to understand what Blaine was doing.

After a moment, it seemed to occur to him and he took Blaine's outstretched hand.

"Finn... So what exactly is going on?"

"The Warblers," Blaine managed to spit out through his clenched teeth. "Every once in a while they throw an impromptu performance in the Senior Commons. Tends to shut the school down for a while."

Finn stared at Blaine, looking directly into his eyes. Blaine glared at him openly.

"So, wait, Glee club here is actually cool?"

"The Warblers are like rock stars," Blaine said coldly.

"Really?" Finn said. "They all seem like dappers to me. What, with their suits and ties... If only there was a bow tie somewhere in this mess."

Blaine shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He then turned away.

They didn't understand. He wanted to be Blaine Warbler.

He wanted to be himself.

And at McKinley, he couldn't do that.

So he left.

"What? No offers to show me? No telling me that you know a shortcut?"

Blaine just continued walking, ignoring Finn.

He could tell that Finn was following him, but really, he wanted nothing to do with it.

Blaine was past them. He was past Kurt and the New Directions. Once again, he was a Warbler. Where he belonged. And yes, he did miss Kurt.

He regretted their breakup every day - every minute... But Kurt wasn't going to destroy him. He was too strong for that.

Blaine felt a few tears beginning to prick at his eyes. Hastily, he blinked them back. He was done crying about Kurt...

But still, he couldn't help but wish it was Kurt that was following him.

He was done with Kurt. There was no Blaine and Kurt anymore. Kurt had been clear that there never would be again, either. So it was time to heal the scars. And that's what he planned to do.

Using the shortcut - the same one - he reached the Senior Commons in mere moments. As soon as he arrived, Finn commented,

"I stick out like a sore thumb." He seemed a bit uncomfortable saying it. Perhaps it truly was uncomfortable for him. Perhaps it was because the other Warblers were glaring at him.

"Next time don't come," Blaine growled. "You'll never fit in here." He swallowed thickly, trying not to think of Kurt as he said it.

Kurt would hate him for being this mean. Then again, Kurt already did hate him.

There was no problem in adding to that.

That way, he wouldn't try to pull Blaine down again.

"And vice versa," Finn said angrily.

"...What?" Blaine said. He was honestly confused. It seemed to overtake his anger. Finn's statement really hadn't made sense. Kurt would have –

That didn't matter.

"You don't fit in here. Not anymore. You belong with us."

Blaine opened his mouth for a scathing remark, but the Warblers, some shooting questioning glances at him, began the song.

"I disagree. Now, if you'll excuse me," Blaine said quickly. He turned his back on Finn and began the song.

_"Uh-ooh_

Uh-oh oh, oh," he started, falling into the original, truly impromptu routine he had done when he went to get the trophy. Of course, by now, it had been perfected.

_"There's a place that I know_

_It's not pretty there and few have ever gone."  
_  
Finn seemed a bit surprised with the song choice - or because Blaine was singing it straight to him.

"_If I show it to you now_

Will it make you run away?" Blaine stared at Finn, taking in his reactions. For a moment, his expression reminded Blaine of when he'd first gone to McKinley. He seemed resentful. As Blaine sang, however, he mouthed the word 'no.'

Well, apparently, Finn wasn't going to run away from his dark side.

That wasn't surprising. After all, his dark side had been at McKinley. He'd lost himself. Now, back at Dalton, he'd already turned on the light.

_"Will you stay_

Even if it hurts?"

Finn nodded, staring into Blaine's eyes. Blaine glared at him. He'd already gotten hurt. At McKinley. He was safe at Dalton. It was better at Dalton.

_"Even if I try to push you out_

Will you return?"

Blaine tore his gaze from Finn, preferring to just focus on the song.

_"And remind me who I really am_

Please remind me who I really ammmmm."

He didn't even need to glance at Finn to know what he would be mouthing. Unfortunately, Blaine had already found who he was, and he wouldn't lose that. Ever.

_"Everybody's got a dark side_

Do you love me?

Can you love mine?"  
  
Now, he looked back at Finn. He stared into the other boy's eyes. Blaine had had friends in the New Directions. He didn't want to lose them. Finn didn't move as their eyes met. Blaine couldn't read his gaze.

"_Nobody's a picture perfect_

But we're worth it

You know that we're worth it."  
  
Blaine tried to forget Finn and to get into the song a bit more. The other Warblers had definitely noticed something was going on, and he did not want them to think that his loyalty was divided. Even if it was.

_"Please remind me who I really am, yeah!"  
_  
The other Warblers seemed a bit relieved as he forgot Finn and just sang.

_"Everybody's got a dark side_

Do you love me?

Can you love mine?"

This time he didn't even look at Finn. There was no reason to. If the New Directions couldn't appreciate who he was, then he didn't need them.

_"Nobody's a picture perfect_

But we're worth it

You know that we're worth it."

Blaine smiled at the other Warblers, who sent him a range of grins back. He was slightly annoyed about how flirtatious Sebastian's was, but he also knew Finn had to have seen it. So he winked back.

Take that Kurt.

_"Will you love me?_

Even with my dark side."  
  
A small glance at Finn told him that Finn had seen the wink, and he looked pissed.

_"Don't run away_

Don't run away (Don't run away)."  
  
He looked back at Finn. This time, he kept his eyes on Finn for more than a moment. Finn was obviously beginning to get angry. Blaine could read it easily in his posture.

_"Don't run away_

Don't run away."  
  
Now, Blaine was staring at Finn, even stepping closer to him. He was stopped in the middle of the room, and Hunter pushed him into line with the other Warblers.

_"Just promise me you will stay (Just promise me you will stay)_

Promise me you will stay (Promise me you will stay)

Everybody's got a dark side

Do you love me?

Can you love mine?

Nobody's a picture perfect."

He jumped up onto the coffee table, looking over the Warblers and Finn at the other students.

It hadn't just been the Warblers that had welcomed him back.

_"But we're worth it_

You know that we're worth it

Will you love me?"  
  
Blaine was staring at Finn, waiting for him to show some sort of reaction. Other than anger, he already knew about that.

_"Even with my dark side?_

Don't run away

Don't run away."  
  
He stepped towards Finn, his voice fading away.

Immediately after the applause ended, he grabbed Finn's arm and walked away, pulling Finn with him. Sebastian and Hunter followed.

He sat down in the same place he had when he'd met Kurt. Blaine shoved Finn to the other side, and Sebastian and Hunter sat down on his either side.

"What?" Finn asked. "No coffee before you beat me up for spying?"

"Why did you come?" Blaine asked, not even acknowledging Finn's first statement.

"To convince you to come back. We're your friends, Blaine. We embrace your dark side. The Warblers nearly blinded you because they didn't accept you."

"No," Blaine said with a grim smile. "You accepted me because of Kurt. And my dark side? That was McKinley. McKinley is my dark side."

"You're not the same here, Blaine-"

"That's right. This is me, Finn. This is me without Kurt. I don't think anyone at McKinley ever saw me as that."

It truly was him without Kurt. He was dealing with not having Kurt.

"We all see you as that, Blaine-"

"Really? I was never invited anywhere that Kurt wasn't. Now that Kurt's gone, my purpose for being in the New Directions is too."

With that, Blaine stood and left, knowing Hunter and Sebastian would follow.

"Kurt would be ashamed of who you've become, Blaine," Finn said as he left.

"Really?" Blaine snapped, turning back around. "Then make sure you tell him about it - all of it, including this." He felt reckless and angry.

Turning to Sebastian, he stepped towards him and kissed him passionately.

For a second, Sebastian was stiff with surprise, but then he melted into the kiss, his lips becoming soft and sweet against his own.

"Tell that to Kurt," Blaine spat, breaking off the kiss. Finn was frozen, mouth slightly open, in shock.

"Blaine-" he began. Blaine whipped around and stalked out of the room, the other two Warblers following.

"Oh - and I'll bring the Nationals trophy by McKinley tomorrow. They must miss it; after all, it is their only one."

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"Finn!" Sam exclaimed as he walked into glee practice. "How'd it go, yesterday? With Blaine?"

"It was a disaster," Finn said with a groan.

"So... He's not coming back?" Tina asked.

"No," Finn said. "He truly did act like one of the Warblers there..."

"Something happened?" Tina put in, raising an eyebrow.

"I was desperate because he was leaving and hadn't listened to me. So I told him Kurt would be ashamed with him. And he turned around, right there and kissed Sebastian. Then he told me to 'tell that to Kurt.'"

"He really is gone," Sam put in, melancholy.

"Yeah," Finn sighed.

"What about the trophy?"Artie asked.

"He told me he'd bring it by today-"

"That sounds more like the Blaine we knew..." Ryder said hopefully.

"-because we must miss it with it being our only one," Finn finished, ignoring Ryder's perspective.

There was a low chuckle from the doorway. Finn turned around and saw Blaine standing there, in his Dalton uniform.

"Talking about me?" he said with a small smirk.

True to his word, he had brought the Nationals trophy.

"Why, Blaine?" Tina asked.

"Because McKinley is my dark side. Kurt was a light for a while, but he burnt out. So I left."

"I'm surprised you didn't bring Sebastian with you. He's your leader, after all. I never thought you'd stoop so low as to have him for a leader."

"He actually isn't, so I'm glad to fulfill your expectations." His voice was dripping sarcasm.

"Yeah, because you didn't betray them when you left," Ryder said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry?" Blaine said, raising his eyebrows. "And this is coming from the one who can't read?"

Ryder's eyes widened.

"H-how do you know about that?" Ryder stood, beginning to look angry.

"Down boy," Blaine said with a smirk. "Please, you've used every excuse in the book to get people to read things aloud. I didn't need to be told."

"And you never said anything?" Finn asked, quietly. It was clear that he was wondering if he knew Blaine at all.

"Of course not. I told you before, Finn. I was nothing here without Kurt," Blaine's smile died as he spat out Kurt's name.

"You said Sebastian isn't the leader?" Artie asked, changing the subject before things escalated further.

"No," Blaine said. "We have someone better. So here's your trophy. Enjoy it. It's the only one you'll ever see."

He set the trophy down and nodded curtly at everyone before spinning around and leaving.

As soon as the door banged shut behind him, Sam whistled.

"And we're sure that wasn't Sebastian in disguise, right?"

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**Hey, guys! I know it's been a while since I updated anything. And I doubt anyone wanted to see a new fic from me. But this was stuck in my head.**

**I've recently had a tragedy in my life, and I find myself unable to write anything really pertaining to death at the moment. Which happens to be most of my Harry Potter fics.**

**I'm working through it, really.**

**So, with Glee. I've just gotten into it because of Darren Criss (I'm sort of obsessed with him.)**

**I don't know much about the characters. (I've only seen clips and read a few wiki pages.)**

**I've obviously made Blaine OOC. It's a different way for him to deal with Kurt leaving. **

**If any of the other characters are really OOC, then I apologize.**

**There are a few things I don't understand though: I get that Sebastian likes Blaine, and I understand it's one-sided. But if Sebastian likes Blaine, then why did Sebastian hit Blaine with that Slushie with rock salt? I think I must be missing something.**

**Also, what happened when Blaine transferred to McKinley with the flaming piano? That has me confused. The cheerleader's (Cheerio's?) dancing with him poured fuel on it. They couldn't have meant for that to happen with the cigarette. And wasn't a girl from glee pouring fuel onto it? I'm really confused about that.**

**So, please review. And tell me if this is worth continuing. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**


	2. Phoning New York

Blaine drove as fast as possible back to Dalton. He felt so angry, and he felt paranoid.

He felt like The New Directions had given up too quickly. And that scared him.

It went so far that he even glanced behind him when a car was tail-gating him, making sure it wasn't them.

He didn't know why he cared so much. Hadn't he just made it obvious that he wouldn't be going back?

After the two hour drive, he was glad to see Dalton again. It truly did feel like a second home for him. He was at home with the Warblers.

Blaine knew he had to thank Hunter for that.

Sebastian hadn't been good for the Warblers. They had slowly become angry and vindictive. Sebastian's Warblers hadn't focused on singing.

They had been talented, all right, but they were more focused on screwing the New Directions over.

With Hunter, it would be different.

He entered his dorm room silently. Blaine had ended up in a dorm with Sebastian, of all people.

While Sebastian truly had turned over a new leaf, that didn't mean that they could just become best friends. Or anything more, contrary to his actions.

Blaine felt bad for leading Sebastian on, but he had been so angry at Kurt and Finn and The New Directions.

He really shouldn't have lost his temper. At least he had hopefully prevented an angry call from Kurt.

It would be just like Kurt to do that. He'd act angry that Blaine was finally finding himself again. Kurt would call and _demand_ why Blaine had left the New Directions. Before, Blaine would have taken it. He would have apologized and probably have broken down for Kurt.

Not anymore.

He was done with Kurt and the New Directions.

Blaine walked into the dorm's bathroom. Distracted by his thoughts of Kurt, he kept his gaze on the floor. Immediately after entering, he locked the door, something he had taken to after Sebastian almost walked in (purposefully) on him taking a shower.

"I didn't know you were this desperate, killer." Blaine jumped, spinning around.

To his horror, Sebastian was standing there. He was wearing a thin towel around his hips.

_Only_ a thin towel.

"Sorry," Blaine muttered, his face flaming. He went to unlock the door, his frantic hand reaching for the doorknob before he even turned around.

"Hey, don't be like that, killer," Sebastian purred. "I thought you proved something today."

"We are not together," Blaine stated, feeling slightly bad for his harsh tone. Why wasn't the door unlocking? "I got angry, and I did the thing that would annoy the New Directions the most. I'm sorry for leading you on."

"What?" Sebastian said, his face becoming an angry shade of red. "So you kissed me to make your ex jealous? Thanks, Blaine. I'm glad I mean something to you." Blaine continued to try and turn the lock. Had Sebastian done something to it? No, that was stupid. Sebastian's words registered in his head, and he stopped trying to unlock the door for a moment.

"Wha- no! Sebastian, you do mean something for me. We're friends, but right now, I can't trust you enough to be more than that," Blaine said, pleading him to understand.

For a minute, he thought Sebastian was going to become even angrier, but then he took a deep breath and calmed.

"Okay, Blaine," he said with a small, slightly forced smile. "I understand."

"You do?" Blaine asked, not believing how easy Sebastian was being.

"Yeah, and I realize that that's not a no. By the way, Blaine, the lock turns the other way."

"Oh, thanks," Blaine said with a sheepish smile. He turned the lock and left, closing the door behind him. Right before it closed, he stopped.

Through the crack, he said softly,

"And Sebastian, you really aren't a bad guy."

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"What happened?" Rachel screeched, her voice becoming squeaky. Kurt winced. He was good with dealing with Rachel, but the squeaky voice – that was pushing it.

She was talking to someone back in Lima. They were probably gossiping. Kurt wanted to roll his eyes at the obvious drama, but he knew that as soon as Rachel hung up he'd ask her for it.

He really wasn't a hypocrite.

"Blaine did what?" she screeched again. Oh. It was about Blaine. Apparently he had done something strange – really strange – if Rachel wasn't just being over dramatic.

There was a bigger possibility that she was being over dramatic.

Kurt bit his lip, wondering what Blaine was up to at McKinley. Was he getting bullied? Sure, it had lightened up, but Blaine was now alone as the only out person at the school.

That was a lot of pressure.

And that was an easy target for any bully.

Then again, the Blaine Kurt knew wouldn't take that.

The Blaine he knew wouldn't have cheated either, but that happened, obviously.

Rachel, mouth wide open from shock, hung up the phone.

"Rachel?" Kurt asked immediately. "What's up with Blaine? What happened?" Rachel turned and met his eyes.

He could see the blank shock in the dark brown irises.

Okay, this was looking like it was a lot more complicated than he'd originally assumed.

"Blaine… Blaine went back to Dalton."

"What?" Kurt exclaimed. "How could he do that? I'm going to call-"

"Wait!" Rachel said. "You need to hear the rest of this."

"What?" Kurt demanded. He already had his phone in his hand.

"Finn went to go see him at Dalton. They actually planned it pretty well. He caught Blaine on the staircase when he was going to an impromptu performance."

"What?" Kurt exclaimed. "They imitated how we met? But that probably _really_ hurt Blaine!"

"According to Finn it didn't. Blaine used nearly the exact wording of your first conversation… or was silent. Then, in the Senior Commons, Finn said that he 'sticks out like a sore thumb,' and Blaine said 'Next time don't come. You'll never fit in here.'"

"Ouch," Kurt said with a wince. "Blaine must have been really annoyed-"

"That's just it," Rachel said. "Finn said he really didn't look that annoyed. And then the Warblers all preformed "Dark Side.""

"Well, that sounds like Blaine thinks he fits in better at Dalton but still wants to be friends," Kurt put in.

"At the end, Blaine told Finn that McKinley was his dark side, and Dalton accepted that," Rachel said.

"What? No – Blaine – why'd he say that? They almost blinded him?"

"And that's not the worst," Rachel said quietly. "Kurt… I don't think you want to hear this…"

"Tell me, Rachel," Kurt demanded, worried for Blaine. He was acting so different.

"Finn said that you'd be disappointed in him-"

"He shouldn't have said that," Kurt cried.

"I know, Kurt," Rachel said, sounding annoyed at the disruption. "But Blaine walked over and kissed Sebastian. Then he said 'tell that to Kurt.'"

"Wh – what did he do?" Kurt asked, his eyes wide and mouth lying slightly opened.

"I'm sorry, Kurt," Rachel said, pulling him into a hug.

"N-no," Kurt stuttered. "We aren't together, but Sebastian hurt Blaine last year – so why…"

"I don't know," Rachel whispered. Finally, Kurt broke down, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Anything else I should know about?" Kurt breathed with a bitter, shaky laugh. Rachel sighed.

"Yeah, actually," she said. "He went back to McKinley because the Warblers had taken the Nationals trophy."

"What?" Kurt exclaimed, still against Rachel's shoulder. "Blaine-"

"The Warblers's leader – it's not Sebastian anymore – took it. That's why Blaine went over to Dalton in the first place – to get it back. They must have convinced him to stay while he was there. But Blaine returned it because 'they must miss it because it's their only one.'"

"Why is he being so nasty to them?" Kurt said, taking his head off Rachel's shoulder.

"I don't know, Kurt. And Finn doesn't either. I think the only one that does is Blaine."

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**Hey guys! Wow, two updates in one day! That's really good for me. **

**So, tell me what you think. Do you like Blaine? Please review!**

**Thanks to all my reviewers! Disclaimer: I do not own Glee**


	3. Steriods

"Blaine?" Blaine groaned from his bed. Reluctantly, he blinked open his eyes. Sebastian was standing over him. He closed his eyes again.

"Mmph," Blaine groaned, struggling to open his eyes for the second time.

"Blaine, you won't have time to gel your hair if you don't get up," Sebastian said. Blaine could practically _hear_ the grin in his voice.

"'M getting up," he muttered, blinking open his eyes. He turned his head and glanced at the clock.

Six A.M.

"It's Saturday," Blaine said, looking at Sebastian as if he'd done something scandalous.

"I know," Sebastian said slowly, mockingly. "That means we have early morning Warbler practice."

"Oh, yeah," Blaine muttered. "I hate Hunter." Sebastian laughed.

"Don't let him hear you say that."

"I know; I know," Blaine said, struggling out of his covers. He changed quickly. Glancing into the mirror, irrationally hoping his hair was lying perfectly without the gel, he was disappointed.

His hair looked like a curly afro, as usual.

"You should keep your hair like that, Killer," Sebastian said.

"Not happening. Been there, done that," Blaine said flatly, already entering the bathroom.

"Really? Do tell?" Sebastian said with a smirk.

"Gel was banned from Prom," Blaine muttered, lathering gel onto his hands to attempt to make his hair flat.

"You really should go without it more often. It looks hot."

"I look like I jumped out of a bad eighties horror flick." Sebastian laughed again.

"It's hot. Here, let me," Sebastian walked over and grabbed Blaine's wrists, stopping him from putting the gel into his hair.

"No, Sebastian, really… This isn't the time to experiment…"

"C'mon, Blaine. Trust me," Sebastian said with that annoying, adorable smirk. He passed one of Blaine's wrists into his other hand so he could turn the sink on. Then he washed the gel off.

"Sebastian…"

"Trust me," he repeated. Grabbing a brush, he ran it through Blaine's hair.

"Wouldn't you rather have your hair soft then that hard mess you usually have?"

"Mmm," Blaine murmured with a shrug. "Kurt never minded." Both boys stiffened at the thoughtless words.

"Well," Sebastian said, trying to sound as casual as before. "That just means Kurt didn't appreciate you how I do, and –"

"We still aren't dating, Sebastian," Blaine said, staring at Sebastian a bit coldly.

"Hey, I never said we were-"

"You implied it-"

"Putting words in my mouth-"

"- and it's the same answer as last night. I don't trust you."

"Yeah, yeah, Killer. I know that. We better get going. Practice starts in ten minutes."

"…And I'm assuming you're not going to let me wear gel?"

"You assumed correctly."

"Let's go," Blaine said with a sigh. They exited their dorm, finding Nick waiting for them.

"I hate Hunter," Blaine murmured.

"Join the club, but don't let him hear," Nick said with a chuckle. Blaine grinned back.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"As well as it can at six A.M. on a Saturday. You?"

"Sebastian didn't let me gel my hair." Nick laughed as they entered the choir room.

"Hello, Blaine, Sebastian," Hunter greeted.

"Hey, Hunter," Blaine said. Sebastian just nodded a response.

"How are you, Blaine? Are the New Directions still bothering you?" Hunter said in that strange voice he had. It was weird. His voice sounded… manipulative, but Hunter was just being nice.

"No, they haven't been," Blaine said. "I haven't even got a text."

"I'm glad they realized where you belong," he said with a smile.

"I am, too," Blaine declared.

"Hey, Blaine," David greeted as he walked in. "No gel?"

"Sebastian refused to let me wear it," Blaine said rolling his eyes.

"Wait, you, _The_ Blaine Anderson, didn't do what he wanted to because that dick said not to? I can hear the Wedding Bells!"

"Shut up, David," Blaine snapped. "We are not dating."

"You sure about that, Killer?"

"Very sure about it."

"Pity. I'm a sucker for guys that sing like a dream."

"Too bad Hunter's 'not remotely bi-curious' then, eh, Sebastian," Blaine quipped.

"I think he was talking about you, soloist," Hunter said. Blaine spun around.

"What?" he exclaimed. "Soloist?"

"For Live While We're Young."

"But Sebastian- I thought – You were-" Blaine stuttered.

"I still don't understand how you sing when you can't even say a full sentence," Jeff said with a grin. Blaine ignored him.

"You're better, Killer," Sebastian said with a smile.

"Now, let's start practice."

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"Hey, Rachel?"

"Yeah, Kurt?" she called back.

"Should I call Blaine?" he asked. She was silent for a moment, thinking.

"I don't know, Kurt. It's pretty obvious that he wants some time alone, but we know he belongs at McKinley. What if it pushes him further away?"

"I feel like this is my fault. If I hadn't broken up with him, then none of this would have happened."

"Kurt," Rachel said softly. "You can't keep thinking that. Blaine made his own choice, and he's still making his own choices. You don't control his whole life." Suddenly, Kurt froze and stiffened.

"You're right, Rachel. And I think I know what Blaine's thinking."

"What, Kurt?" Rachel exclaimed.

"I think he wants to completely separate himself from me. You know, he came to McKinley for me, and half the time, I picked out clothes for him."

"Oh my god, Kurt. I think you're right!"

"We need to call Finn."

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"So you're saying that Blaine wants to change anything that Kurt influenced for him?" Finn asked quietly, holding his phone with his shoulder.

"Yeah, Finn. That sounds like it," Kurt said.

"I hate to say this, Kurt. But can the New Directions help him?"

"We – we have to. He's ruining his life," Kurt exclaimed.

"Just because he's changing doesn't mean he's ruining himself."

"Kurt, give me the phone." Finn groaned as he heard Rachel's voice in the background. Sure enough, she spoke next.

"Finn, you said he's being rude to the point of mean. It's Blaine. When has he ever been mean? Ever."

"I know, Rachel, but that doesn't mean that we can just throw ourselves into his life. That's what caused this in the first place."

"We can't just give up!" Rachel exclaimed.

"I already tried to convince him. We can't do this."

"We can," Rachel promised. "We won't let Blaine do this to himself."

"Do what, Rachel? Move on? Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

"Finn, he's not moving on; he's lying to himself! He's going to do something stupid to try and prove that he did move on!"

"Like kissing Sebastian?" Finn growled.

"I'm afraid he could do worse."

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"You want us to take steroids?" Blaine exclaimed, staring at Hunter in disbelief.

"Don't you want to win, Blaine?" Hunter said, a smirk growing on his lips. "We're prepared to do anything."

"Not by cheating! There's no way in hell I'll do this!" Blaine declared.

"Then leave. Anyone who doesn't do this isn't a Warbler."

"Why are you cheating? Why can't we go in just with talent?" Blaine snapped.

"And have a chance to lose?" Hunter growled. "I won't let us lose."

"With these, no one wins. If we make it to Regionals, I want it to be because of our talent. Only our talent."

"Blaine, come on. We all want to win, Killer. You're dragging us down," Sebastian threw in.

"I suppose we shouldn't have trusted you. It looks like Kurt changed you. You've lost your drive, Blaine. Are you even a Dalton boy anymore?" Hunter asked, smiling grimly.

"I belong at Dalton," Blaine snarled, clenching his fists.

"Then do this. If you don't, then pack your bags. Only the most confident, driven performers will do this."

"I'm a soloist. You won't win Sectionals if I leave."

"Killer, baby, you're doing my solo. I've practiced it for months," Sebastian said with a dark smile.

"I – I don't want to do this."

"Then give me your jacket, Blaine. You are not a Warbler if you don't." Blaine sighed and began to shrug his jacket off.

"At least you'd be making _Kurt_ proud. This way, you can go and beg them and _Kurt_ to take you back. Like a dog, Blaine. You're running with your tail in-between your legs." Blaine froze, stiffening.

"…I'll do it."

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**Hey, guys! I decided it's a new all-time record. Three chapters in one day!**

**I forgot to mention before this that this fic should end up being Klaine (as long as the plot bunnies don't pull any surprises.)**

**Please review! Tell me if made any character (other than Blaine, of course) OOC because, once again, I do not know the series well.**

**Sorry for having Finn call Rachel in the last chapter. I thought they were still together. Didn't he ask her to marry him? Did she say no? I thought it would be easier on Kurt to be told in person.**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.**


	4. Manipulating

"Get over here, Killer," Sebastian demanded as Hunter prepared the syringe.

"Sebastian..." Blaine said quietly. "I - I don't think I can do this." Nervously, he bit his lip.

He wanted to win, really. Yet, Blaine couldn't ignore the small voice inside his head saying that it was a dumb idea, and that he was cheating.

He'd always prided himself on his singing; he was good, and he knew it.

This was going against every moral he had.

"Then go back to your little diversity club," Hunter growled, waving the syringe slightly.

It was clear that Hunter was annoyed. He really hated drama, and to him, that was all this was.

"Everyone else wants this, Blaine," Sebastian put in. Blaine looked around.

That couldn't be true, right? There had to be someone that realized how wrong it was for this to happen.

They were cheating. Did no one else realize that?

Nearly everyone had already taken the drugs. David hadn't yet, but he didn't really look like he was going to refuse.

Then he saw Trent standing in the back. Trent was fidgeting uncomfortably. Blaine knew Trent, and he knew that meant Trent was not okay with this. That was what he'd been looking for.

"Trent?" he asked desperately. "Are you okay with this?" Trent looked at Hunter and Sebastian for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

"There. We know this isn't right, Hunter," Blaine said smugly. Hunter set the syringe down.

"Then leave. Both of you. The Warblers have no room for losers."

Blaine's eyes widened. Would they really be kicked out for refusing to break the rules and laws? The Warblers truly had changed.

"I thought you said that a legend like me shouldn't be sidelined in their senior year," Blaine retorted. Hunter shook his head with a mock regret.

"I thought you were still that legend. Blaine Warbler would have done this. But you've changed. I should have realized that."

Hunter made an abstract waving motion towards the door. Trent sighed and began to walk towards it. Blaine glanced at the door and then to Hunter.

"What if we learn the steps just as good as the rest of you without the drugs? We'll work harder and stay clean," Blaine proposed desperately. He'd just found a home with the Warblers, and he didn't want to lose that.

"Do you really think you can do that, Killer? The drugs give you an edge-"

"You've called me flawless before, Sebastian," Blaine said. "Let me prove that. Hunter?"

"We'll allow it, but if you even look like you're going to pull us down... then you're out. No questions asked."

"We can work with that," Blaine agreed, putting a hand on Trent's shoulder. He looked around at the others.

"I don't support this at all, but I'll deal with it because we're the Warblers. And we stick together."

"I'm with you, Blaine," David said. "I would have taken the drugs to stay on the Warblers, but I would not have agreed with it." Blaine smiled at him.

"Thanks, David." He grinned suddenly. "This feels like old times. I was waiting for Wes to throw a comment in about the Warblers history." Blaine laughed.

"It certainly wouldn't have surprised me." Blaine glanced at Hunter. On the outside, Hunter looked calm, but Blaine could read the annoyance in his stance. It was time to move on to practice.

"So, let's start," Blaine said simply, and Hunter immediately took control.

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Trent smiled as he watched Blaine walk back to his dorm. Blaine really did influence the Warblers. If he hadn't been there, then Hunter would've made him quit. Trent really hadn't wanted to do that, for obvious reasons, but he had been prepared to.

Then – Bam! – there was Blaine, fixing the situation.

Trent had missed him. He'd added something to the Warblers. Trent could only hope that Blaine would bring it again.

"You have to convince him to," Trent heard. He turned, recognizing Hunter's voice. It was coming from the choir room.

"I will. Blaine's just being stubborn." That was Sebastian. Were they talking about the steroids? Of course they were.

Did Hunter really think he could convince Blaine to take them? Blaine had made it clear that he wasn't okay with it.

Yet, he'd also agreed at first, when Hunter mentioned Kurt. Trent wasn't an idiot. He realized that Blaine was trying to cut himself from Kurt – trying quite desperately.

If they used Kurt in an argument, Blaine would consider using the steroids.

Trent didn't want that.

"I thought he'd agree when we said he'd have to leave the Warblers," Sebastian said angrily.

"Blaine's always followed the rules a bit too much," Hunter said. "It corrupts him. He forgets what's really important."

"So, what should we do?"

"We have to make him more loyal to us. He proved last year that he's ridiculously loyal to those he loves. We need to play on that."

Trent bit his lip. He really wished he wasn't hearing this. It was good for Blaine that he was. After all, they were talking about manipulating him, but then again, he had believed – or tried to – that Hunter was a good person. Misguided, yes, but a good person.

Now, he was talking about manipulating a fellow classmate into doing something illegal. And worse, Sebastian was agreeing.

With Sebastian, Trent already knew what he was capable of. Last year, the slushie had proved that. But he also knew that Sebastian cared about Blaine.

Or at least, Trent thought he had.

He wasn't an idiot nor was he naïve. Blaine was growing a lot closer to Sebastian.

Everyone saw where that was headed.

Trent, while he wasn't crazy for Sebastian, knew that Blaine needed someone there. Sebastian, he had thought, was that person.

Now, Trent wasn't too sure.

"He is loyal to us," Sebastian said. "He's a Warbler. You heard him say that."

"He's not loyal enough to any _one_ of us. Sebastian, _you_ can be the person he's loyal to," Hunter said.

"Wait," Sebastian said. "You want me to convince him to _date_ me so that we can convince him to use the steroids." Sebastian sounded a little uncomfortable.

"In a nutshell, yes," Hunter stated.

"I'm not sure if I can do that," Sebastian said.

There was a long pause before he continued.

"I mean, I care about Blaine, and I want what's best for him. I won't date him just to manipulate him."

"You can date him for yourself. Just convince him to do this while you're at it."

"I don't know," Sebastian said doubtfully.

"Look, Sebastian, Blaine is very good, but he will not look good next to the rest of us. We'll look super-human. He'll look sloppy next to us. This is to make him look better."

"…okay," Sebastian said. He still sounded uncomfortable. Trent saw the door begin to open. Quickly, he ducked around the corner.

Were Hunter and Sebastian really going to try and force the steroids on Blaine? That's what they were doing, after all. Manipulating him when he clearly didn't want to do it was just as bad as tying him down – only with less legal problems.

But what could he do?

He could warn Blaine, but Blaine already had enough to deal with. David was questionable – Trent couldn't let Sebastian or Hunter find out he knew what they were planning.

If Blaine took the steroids, then there would be no stopping the Warblers.

They would also be cheating, and Blaine would be affecting the whole rest of his life.

Of course, they were all doing that, and if they were caught, then none of them would ever have a future in performance.

But it would destroy Blaine.

Blaine had so many morals, and they would all be broken, but he would think about it for Sebastian.

There truly was nothing he could do.

He'd lost his chance to help Blaine when he didn't stop that Slushie last year.

But there were people that could help.

Trent knew that Blaine was pushing his old friends away, but they had cared for him. He had seemed so happy with them.

And they had liked him, whatever Blaine said now.

…He had to talk with them.

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Trent took a deep breath as he saw the kid that had come to their impromptu performance. He was in the Lima Bean. Having no way to contact the New Directions, he'd decided to go to where he knew they went and hope that one came.

Trent hadn't worn his uniform. He would have been judged by them immediately if he had.

He was lucky. A lot of them were entering the coffee shop. He stood and walked over slowly.

Biting his lip, he decided to address the one who had come with Blaine. He seemed to be a leader to the group.

"Um, hello. Are you Finn Hummel?" He had met the guy once through Kurt, and Kurt had introduced him as his brother, so it made sense that they had the same last name.

"Finn Hudson, actually. And you are?" Finn asked.

"I'm Trent. I'm from Dalton – a Warbler, actually."

"Yeah, I remember you," the kid in a wheelchair said. Trent nodded at him.

"So, why are you here?" one of the girls asked.

"Blaine."

"Of course," the same girl said. "His life's still a bad lifetime movie."

"What's up with Blaine?" Finn asked him.

"Hunter and Sebastian are trying to convince him to use steroids for sectionals."

"What!" the New Directions chorused, turning a lot of heads.

"Shut up!" Trent hissed. "He almost did, too. They're pulling low blows on him. Told him when he refused that Kurt 'would have been proud of him' and that he's 'a dog running with its tail in-between his legs.'"

"Ouch," one of the guys said with a wince.

"He almost took them. They will _ruin_ his life He finally managed to make Hunter settle with him, David, and I working our asses off to be just as good without the steroids."

"All of the Warblers are taking them?" Finn exclaimed. "That's cheating. They could be disqualified and probably expelled from Dalton!"

"I'm sorry, but that's not why I came. I'm not here to betray the Warblers."

"You just did, prep boy."

"Prove that I was here," Trent said with a smirk. The New Directions looked at each other silently. "What? You don't have the girl with a tape recorder taped to her under-boob?"

There was no answer.

"Look, I need to go. Blaine needs help. Help him."

"Should we have Kurt call him?" Finn asked.

"No, definitely not!" Trent exclaimed. "If anything makes him use the steroids, it'll be that. Have someone he liked from your school meet up with him and accept him for who he is now."

With that, Trent walked out of the Lima Bean. He didn't look back.

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Sam looked at the other New Directions.

"So, who's going to do this?" Sam asked.

"You're assuming we're helping him?" Kitty said, raising an eye-brow.

"There's a chance that we won't?" Sam retorted. Other than an uncomfortable shuffling, there was no response. "Are you guys serious? He was our friend, and he's going through a tough time!

It looks like I'm the one that's going to talk to him."

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**Hey guys! How's it going? **

**So, what do you think? Do you like Trent? Is he too OOC? What about Hunter and Sebastian?**

**Please review!**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers! And followers! And… favouriters…?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee!**


	5. The Lima Bean

Blaine was sitting in his dorm room, alone. He was just lounging; he already finished his homework.

It was around five P.M. or so on Saturday.

It was pretty sad that he had nowhere to go on a Saturday night. Well, he'd been invited places. He just really didn't fell all that sociable. So, he stayed at Dalton.

What happened with the Warblers that morning had scared him.

The old Warblers, with Wes and the council, would never had even considered steroids as an option.

Hell, it shouldn't have been a option. There was no way the Warblers should have ever stooped as low as to cheat.

Blaine knew that he'd been kidding himself when he thought that it would be just like old times. The Warblers had changed under both Hunter and Sebastian.

He had half-expected to walk in on a council meeting, but the council didn't decide things anymore.

Hunter did.

Blaine knew that Hunter was a good leader, a natural leader.

But nothing, to him, was more important than winning. Blaine didn't like that.

Yeah, he liked winning as much as the next guy, but that wasn't what the Warblers were about.

He sighed loudly.

There were a lot of things he could do, and he wasn't insecure enough to say that he didn't recognize those.

But there was no way that he'd be able to perform the choreography as well as the others. With the steroids, they seemed to find it easy.

Blaine was getting out of breath by the time his solo came around. David and Trent were doing even worse.

David had to learn a round off layout step-out for "Whistle."

Blaine knew that that was nearly impossible. The steps that Hunter insisted on using… They took a long time to learn.

He was lucky that all he really had to focus on was the cardio. Trent had a few moments he needed to perfect, but it was David that had it the hardest.

But he also refused to allow anyone to be cut for not using the steroids. Blaine would make sure that no one was forced to choose between morals or the Warblers.

If they had nothing against using the drugs, then they could. While he didn't personally agree, he would be a hypocrite if he prevented them from doing something _they_ believed in.

And it would give them an edge at Sectionals.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door.

He got up reluctantly and pulled the door open. It was Trent.

"Hey, Blaine," Trent said.

"Hi," Blaine said with a small nod and a smile.

"David and I want to practice a bit more if you're up for it."

"Of course," Blaine said, already going to grab his stuff. Trent stood in the doorway. Then he spoke.

"Hey, I want to meet with you tomorrow at, like 12 or so."

Blaine looked back at him, pausing as he collected his stuff.

"I'll be here. Just drop by." Trent fidgeted a bit.

"Well, actually, I was wondering if it could be off campus." Blaine raised his eyebrows. He had assumed it was for more practice.

"Where? And why?"

"What about the Lima Bean?"

Blaine froze. The Lima Bean? Since when did Trent start going to where all the McKinley kids go? Why was he going there?

The New Directions had made it clear that they hardly thought of Dalton boys as people. There was always the chance that Trent didn't wear his uniform there, but Dalton boys usually wore theirs out in public. It was a school pride thing.

Before, Blaine had always felt weird when he wasn't wearing his uniform, but he'd his behind the uniform, so that was understandable.

"Why there?" Blaine asked.

"Because I'm meeting a friend there. He goes to a school pretty far away, and it's on the way for both of us."

"Why do you want me there if you're meeting a friend?" Blaine hoped he didn't sound bitter about it. He wasn't, but the words themselves could be taken wrong. He'd actually meant them to be more of an honest question.

To his relief, Trent took it that way.

"I don't want to do the driving both ways by myself, and he mentioned that he might be bringing his date… They break up every two days and get back together, so she probably won't come, but I don't want to be a third wheel if she does." Trent said all of this really fast, and he looked to the ground, face heating up.

Blaine looked at his friend, staring at him thoughtfully. Then he spoke slowly,

"Trent… did you just ask me out on a date?" Trent's head snapped up.

"Wha- No! I'm not – I didn't mean for it to be-"

"Okay, Trent," Blaine said with a chuckle. "It just sounded like it. Sure, I'll come."

"But, on the topic of dating, what's going on with you and Sebastian?" Trent said, changing the subject.

"We aren't dating, and we probably won't be anytime soon. I don't trust him."

"Good," Trent said. Then his face heated up. "Because… um… because of the slushie."

"Yeah, I know, but it really isn't that. I can forgive him for that. It's the steroids. He was all for them, and he was all for convincing me to take them."

Trent snorted and nodded.

"And since he did that, I can't help but think he doesn't know me at all."

"I'm glad, Blaine," Trent said sincerely. "You – you deserve better than Sebastian." He looked down at the floor again.

Blaine recognized the motion. It meant that Trent was hiding something, but what was it?

"I do have to warn you, though. At the Lima Bean, if any McKinley kid sees me than I'll probably be beaten up and/or covered in high fructose corn syrup."

Trent clicked his tongue.

"That's what you get for having an escapade to a public school."

"C'mon," Blaine said with a smile. "We don't want to keep David waiting too long."

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Trent was driving him down to the Lima Bean.

The Lima Bean.

He had promised himself that he wasn't going to go back there.

Sure, they had good coffee, but that didn't matter.

He could live without a medium drip in his life.

The memories of – of everything were just a little too strong for him to be comfortable. Not after Kurt.

Yet, he didn't really care about Kurt anymore. Kurt was nothing to him; he'd moved on.

Hadn't he already proved that? Blaine just had no reason to go to the Lima Bean. After all, it wasn't like the McKinley kids would welcome him anymore.

"Trent?" Blaine asked, trying to stop his thoughts. Trent turned down the radio – until then, Blaine hadn't even noticed it was blasting – and glanced at him questioningly.

"Um," Blaine hadn't actually thought of something to say past that, so he said the first thing that came to mind. "What's your friend's name?"

"Uh…" Trent said, biting his lip a bit. "Sam."

"Really?" Blaine said. "What's he like."

"He – he's nice. Very funny. Slightly uptight."

"You sound almost like you don't know, Trent. You do know this guy, right?" Blaine asked with a laugh as the car pulled into the Lima Bean.

"Not exactly," he said quietly.

Blaine's hand froze on its way to the doorknob.

"What do you mean?"

"H - he doesn't want to talk you me. He wants to talk to you because you used to be fr - friends," Trent said nervously.

"Who is it?" Blaine asked, his voice calm and deceptively quiet. "Trent! Who is it!" Blaine's voice grew louder and angrier.

"…Sam," he muttered. Blaine turned and looked at him. Trent nearly gasped aloud when he was the blank hurt in Blaine's eyes.

"Why, Trent?" Blaine whispered.

"They were your friends, too, Blaine. And some of them still want to be." Blaine's eyes narrowed and became hard. Yanking the door open, he stepped out.

"We'll see about that," he hissed. Then he stalked towards the Lima Bean.

He could already see Sam's blonde head by the doors. This was going to be a long evening.

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"Blaine," Sam greeted with an easy smile. He tried to think of Blaine how he had been before returning to Dalton. They had been good friends. It wasn't hard.

"Sam," Blaine muttered. He shot an angry look back towards the car Sam assumed was Trent's.

"How have you been?" Sam asked, fidgeting slightly in the Lima Bean's doorway.

"Better than I was. You?" Blaine asked. Sam winced. Blaine was hardly being civil, and his tone definitely wasn't.

"It's not the same without you there, Blaine." Blaine's eyes left the ground and looked into Sam's eyes.

He was surprised – and slightly wary – of the almost predatory glow in them.

"Should've known you would've missed me, baby." Blaine's voice was a deep growl. Sam looked at Blaine in shock as his eyes flicked over Sam's body.

He was making it painfully obvious that he was checking Sam out.

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**Hey, guys! So, Blaine is now trying to freak Sam out.**

**And it looks like it's going to work.**

**So, what did you think? Anyone predictions on where this is going to go?**

**Please review!**

**Thanks to my old reviewers/ followers/ people that favourited!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee!**


	6. Sam

"…Blaine," Sam said quietly. Blaine's eyes weren't focused on Sam's face, but he was still staring.

Sam didn't even want to think about what Blaine was staring at so low on his body.

"Yeah, baby?" Blaine's eyes flicked up to Sam's. His voice was still lower than usual.

"Um, I'll, uh, get the drinks if you want to get a table. Medium drip, right?" Sam said, stuttering slightly as Blaine's eyes fell _again_. Trying to ignore it, Sam began to fumble with his wallet.

"Of course. Can't believe you still know my coffee order, princess." Sam froze.

"What did you just call me?" Sam knew what Blaine was doing. Trent had warned him that Blaine would try to push him away, but it was still extremely creepy.

"Called you princess, babe."

Okay, so Blaine was not only flirting with him but also implying that he was the girl in the relationship.

This was going to be a long afternoon.

Turning, Sam walked up to buy the coffee. He flushed as he felt Blaine's gaze on his back.

Again, Sam didn't want to even think about what he was staring at. He bought the coffee drinks quickly and walked over to where Blaine was sitting.

Blaine was unashamedly staring at him. Sam felt his flush start to darken. He sat down across from Blaine. Sam glanced up and then back down. Blaine's eyes were dark and burning.

"No need to be so uptight, babe," Blaine said. "Don't you want a little… _attention_?"

"What – no, Blaine. I need to talk to you."

"Why just talk, baby? I can think of so many better things to do. For _us_ to do." Sam felt himself flush again, but he ignored it.

He decided the best way to deal with Blaine's attempt to scare him off was to ignore it.

"I wanted to tell you that we're still friends, Blaine, and-"

"We could be more than that, babe." Sam broke off as Blaine winked and smirked.

"I'm here for you, Blaine. We're _friends_. I don't care that you're at Dalton. I accept you – _all_ of you."

"I'd be happy to show you _all_ of me." He chuckled as Sam looked away.

"You're so uptight, babe. I could always loosen you up. I've been told that I'm quite good at that."

"Blaine, this isn't you-"

"But it is, babe. Face it, you don't know me. Not anymore," Blaine said. His voice got a little quieter and lost some of its cockiness as he said that. Sam nearly smiled as he saw that Blaine had dropped his façade a bit.

"I want to, Blaine. We were good friends." Blaine glanced at his hands for a moment before looking back up. Sam nearly groaned as he saw Blaine's mask was back.

"I have a great way to get to know each other, babe." Sam shut his eyes for a moment, trying to collect himself.

Blaine was starting to get on his nerves, but he knew that that was exactly what Blaine wanted. Blaine wanted him to give up and say 'to hell with it!'

Sam wouldn't do that because they had been friends, and Sam had missed Blaine.

"Fantasizing, baby? We can make those a reality." Sam opened his eyes. Blaine had changed, but how much of it was an act, and how much was real?

"Blaine, can I ask you something?"

"I don't kiss and tell, if that's what you're wondering." Sam ignored the comment.

"I want to know why you went back to Dalton."

"Missed the memo, babe? There was nothing left for me at McKinley," Blaine said. Sam could see a bit of anger in his eyes. Blaine was starting to lose control of his mask.

"But there was, Blaine. You had friends there. You still have friends there."

"They – you – only accepted me because of Kurt," Blaine said, looking down. His hands were resting on the table. The coffee was untouched.

"Maybe at first, but we miss you Blaine."

"I'm not coming back," he said. Suddenly, he smirked again. "No matter how much you want me to, baby."

"I'm not asking you to come back, Blaine. I'm telling you that we're your friends."

"Why is it only you here, then? Why aren't a bunch of the New Directions here? Not that I'm against alone time…" Sam sighed and bit his lip.

"They didn't want to, did they? They think I betrayed them, and that's the end of our friendship."

"Yeah…" Sam said softly. "They do think that, but I'm not here to talk about them. I don't think that, Blaine. And I don't want to lose you because of a school and a competition."

"Never realized we were this close, babe," Blaine said.

"That's what I'm talking about, Blaine. You're trying to push me away. Why?" Sam asked.

"I – I," Blaine stuttered. "I don't know, but I can't do this Sam. I won't let my loyalty be divided. I'm loyal to the Warblers."

"No matter what they ask you to do?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. Blaine froze, and slowly, his eyes left the table and met Sam's. Sam could see the mixed emotions in his eyes. Finally, it seemed like Blaine's walls had come completely down.

"Sam, what do you know?" Blaine asked. "I can tell you know something."

"Trent told me about the steroids. He heard Sebastian and the other guy – what was his name? – talking about changing your mind by playing with your loyalty." Blaine looked at his hands again.

"Why did he go to you instead of me? Why didn't he tell me that?"

"Because, Blaine, you're under enough stress. You need someone to confide in. I can be that person," Sam said with what he hoped was a comforting smile.

"I used to love being a Warbler, and I do belong at Dalton, but Hunter and Sebastian have warped them completely. They aren't the same anymore. There's no more class."

"I'm glad that you found where you belong, Blaine, but I'm worried that you'll be pulled into doing the drugs. And I _know_ that you'd regret it."

"I would, Sam. I would truly regret it. But I'll never do it. Neither will David or Trent. I may not be able to stop the others, but I can keep us out of it."

"Just be careful," Sam said quietly.

"I will be," Blaine said. "I have to go. I'll see you again? Soon?"

"Yeah," Sam said with a smile.

Blaine stood up and began to walk away. After a few steps, he froze.

"And Sam, I do have to say: you have a nice ass." He glanced at Sam with a smile and winked.

Sam stared at Blaine.

"What?" he demanded. "I thought- Blaine! Blaine!" Blaine laughed as he walked out the Lima Bean and towards Trent's car, ignoring Sam's calls.

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"How'd it go?" Trent asked as Blaine got in the car. Blaine glanced at Trent and took a deep breath.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "I needed that, but please, next time, tell me if Hunter and Sebastian are planning anything."

"I will," Trent said with a little smile. "I'm sorry for the whole deceiving you thing…"

"No, it's okay. I probably wouldn't have come if you'd have told me, and that did help."

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**Hey, guys! I had a lot of trouble writing this conversation. How'd it go in your eyes? **

**I just saw that video on youtube of starkid making fun of Darren Criss for the sexiest man alive thing **** That's hilarious. I liked "What? He beat Stringer Bell? That's bullshit!" from Joe Walker. ;)**

**So, what did you guys think? Please review!**

**Thanks to all my old readers, reviewers, followers, and favouriters!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.**


	7. Enlisting The New Directions

"Hey, Sam," Finn said as Sam entered the choir room. "Did you talk to Blaine?"

"I thought you guys didn't care," Sam said with a glare. Finn shifted uncomfortably.

"Sorry about that, Sam. We shouldn't have said that."

"Blaine realized nearly immediately that no one else cared because I was alone," Sam deadpanned, not accepting Finn's awkward apology.

"We should have been there for him," Finn said, not meeting Sam's eyes.

"You should have been!" Sam agreed loudly. Tina rolled her eyes.

"Boo hoo. Blaine left. He doesn't care about us. Why should we care about him?"

"He's our friend," Sam spat, turning his glare to Tina.

"He was our friend," Kitty said. "I don't think he wants to know us anymore. What did he do when he met you? Give you a hug and a smile?" Sam flushed lightly, thinking back to Blaine's insane flirting.

"He tried to push me away at first, but then he understood that I want to help him."

"Really?" Kitty asked, raising an eyebrow. "How do we know this isn't some sort of Warbler plot?"

"That does make sense," Marley said with a small shrug. Ryder nodded, agreeing with her.

"Why would they tell us they were on steroids for Sectionals?" Sam asked incredulously.

"I don't know," Kitty said sarcastically. "Maybe to… distract us? Force us to solve Blaine's problems as opposed to our own?" Sam bit his lip. He had to convince them that Blaine was telling the truth. Sam knew that he was telling the truth.

Anyone that looked at Blaine would have known that. Blaine was so torn, and Sam could see that so easily in his eyes.

He knew what he _could_ do, but it definitely wasn't the right thing to do. After all, it would be a slight lie, but Sam thought that it was needed.

"Kitty, you think he'll make us lose. What if we convince him to come back? Convince him that we're his friends? We all know that he's one of our best voices, and that we really need him. So, let's bring him back!"

Finn looked at Sam, narrowing his eyes.

"Do you really think he'd even consider it? He looked pretty close to Sebastian when I saw him."

"And then Sebastian tried to force him into steroids, and suddenly, the small amount of trust he actually had in Sebastian fell away," Sam said quietly.

"So, you're saying that he isn't kissing Sebastian every chance he gets?" Kitty said.

"No! He's not; I can promise you that. He's… open," Sam said, smiling a little as he remembered Blaine's line as he left. He had been both shocked and slightly scared when Blaine had left.

After all, he'd thought that Blaine's flirting had been a way of trying to push Sam away. Then Blaine had said that, and suddenly, Sam wasn't so sure.

It didn't bother him, though. After all, he was an attractive guy, and it was kind of flattering that Blaine was into that.

"And you know that how?" Tina said. Sam flushed slightly. Admitting he didn't mind in his own head was alright, but he really didn't want to say that in front of the entire Glee club.

"Um, I-"

"Oh my god," Unique said suddenly. "He – he! Oh my god! He was flirting with you, wasn't he?"

"Umm…" Sam said quietly. "Uh, yeah."

"Wait?" Tina said, laughing a bit. "He was _flirting_ with you? Blaine?"

"Yeah, I know. It's hilarious," Sam deadpanned. Everyone was laughing at him, pretty much. Even Finn was grinning.

"What did he say?" Kitty demanded.

"He told me I have a nice ass… among other things…" The entire club began to laugh at him.

"Oh my god!" Marley said with a giggle. "What else?"

"No!" Sam exclaimed. "I am not talking about this!"

"C'mon, Sam," Tina said, rolling her eyes. "If we have to talk about Blaine, then let's at least talk about something interesting about him."

"Besides," Kitty added. "I never thought Blaine would be the one to say something like that. I admit that I'm intrigued."

"You shouldn't be," Sam muttered. "Fine. What do you want to know?" Everyone took a second to think before replying.

"How freaked out were you?" Ryder asked.

"When it happened: a lot. Now, not so much."

"What was the worst thing he said?" Tina asked, giggling.

"He – he," Sam started before pausing. "He called me princess once."

"Princess?" Jake said with a chuckle. "So… he pretty much implied that you're a girl?"

"Blaine wouldn't imply that someone was a girl. After all, he dated Kurt and never said anything," Kitty said. "I think he was implying that he'd top you." Everyone laughed again, and Sam blushed even more furiously.

"He was not… implying that!" Sam exclaimed.

"Dude, your face says differently," Ryder said. "It's ridiculous that he's changed so much since leaving. Do you really think that he'd come back?"

Sam bit his lip. No, Blaine probably wouldn't be coming back, but Sam needed the New Direction's help in order to fix this. He wasn't promising anything, right?

"I think he would. Blaine went to Dalton to find himself now that Kurt's gone. He's just more lost now."

"We should help him, guys," Finn said. "How was he? Did he seem happy?"

"No," Sam said. "He sounded stressed and like he's got too much on his plate."

"The Warblers don't practice more than us. Why's he so busy?" Tina asked.

"Trent told me that he, David, and Blaine refused to take the steroids, so they've been working their asses off to be as good without them. Blaine's got a solo in the second song, and Trent said that he's breathing hard by the time they get to it."

"Blaine's breathing hard?" Tina said. "I don't even want to imagine their dance."

"How will we beat them when they're like that?" Ryder said. "We don't have a chance."

"Hey," Sam said. "We can do this, and we can also help Blaine. Are you guys with me?"

For a moment, everyone just looked around at the others.

"Yeah," Finn said. "We can do this." That seemed to be what the others needed to hear because everyone agreed after that.

Sam smiled as he saw the New Directions finally decide to help Blaine.

"Yeah!" Jake said. "And we might be able to get him back before Sectionals!"

Sam's smile died. Blaine had made it clear that he wouldn't come back. And he was sure that Blaine would make it very clear to them that he wouldn't.

Sam just hoped that Blaine wouldn't distant himself from them again because they want him to come back.

He sighed softly. This could be a disaster, but it could also go well. Either way, for better or for worse, the New Directions were involved, and they were going to try and help.

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**Hey, guys! I know it's been a long time, but I've just been pretty busy recently. I now have gymnastics for 20+ hours a week. Woohoo.**

**So, tell me what you thought! How's it going? Do you like the characters? Any predictions? Questions? Ideas? I take it all so please review!**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers and especially to Dr. Pepper 87 for answering all of my numerous questions about glee. Thank you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee!**


	8. The Kidnapping

"Shh, guys!" Ryder hissed. They were walking quickly, yet silently, through the halls of Dalton Academy. All of the New Directions had come for this mission. They were all wearing various outfits that were all black. Kitty was in her superhero costume, but the others were in more basic attire.

It was ridiculous. Sam knew that. They were planning to kidnap Blaine for the weekend. Tina had wanted to convince him that they were still his friends. Unfortunately, the others had decided that kidnapping Blaine was the best idea.

Sam really didn't know what the hell they were thinking. With idiots like that in the New Directions, Sam knew exactly why Blaine transferred. Hell, Sam kind of wanted to transfer.

Currently, the Dalton kids were at classes. The New Directions had fifteen minutes to break into his dorm before the hall was flooded with kids.

They just needed to figure out where Blaine's dorm was.

"I can't believe that no one ever visited Kurt when he was at Dalton," Tina grumbled disheartened.

"Can't we just call Kurt and ask?" Jake asked. "We need to find it."

Finn sighed and pulled out his phone.

"I guess we have to," he said. "I just hope Kurt isn't busy." He dialed Kurt's number and put the phone on speaker.

It rang three times before Kurt answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kurt!" Finn said. "We need to know where Blaine's dorm is in Dalton."

"Where Blaine's... What?" Kurt said, obviously confused.

"We're kidnapping Blaine from Dalton for the weekend. We have... thirteen minutes until classes end."

"Why would you... Never mind, I don't even want to know. He was in Hallway A, third room on the left - 206A - when I was there. Of course, there's no guarantee that he's still in that room..."

"Thanks, Kurt!" Finn exclaimed, hanging the phone up. "C'mon, guys! We have ten minutes."

The New Directions quickly, yet as quietly as possible, tried to find Blaine's dorm. Almost immediately, they ran into a problem. Sam was amazed that no one had seen it coming. After all, they were supposed to be pretty smart.

"Uh, guys?" Ryder asked, "Does anyone actually know where Hallway A is?" Sam literally could have face-palmed as the others glanced around, seeming to hope that someone else would know.

No one did, of course.

"Well..." Kitty said. "What now?"

"We only have five minutes until their classes end," Marley said. "I don't think kidnapping Blaine is going to work."

"This was a dumb idea," Jake said. Sam was quite a bit annoyed. Were they finally realizing how stupid this idea was? He'd known that as soon as it was suggested, and he would have said so if everyone else hadn't instantly agreed.

"We should probably just leave," Finn said. "We aren't going to find him."

Everyone nodded dejectedly. They didn't want to give up, but it seemed like they had to. Sam was glad that - finally! - someone had a bit of sense and aborted the mission.

"Wait!" Artie exclaimed. "Don't they have Warbler practice right after classes? We can wait by the choir room! I remember where it is from the last time we were here."

"Guys, I don't think this is a good idea," Sam said, frowning and biting his lip.

"You're the one that thought we should do something, Sam. Isn't this what you wanted?" Kitty said.

"Anyway," Finn said. "If we're going to get Blaine to come back, then we need to convince him now. There's no time to waste."

Sam winced, knowing that if they even hinted to Blaine that they wanted him to come back, then he wouldn't trust any of them.

Actually, he'd probably insult them pretty badly.

The New Directions moved to the choir room, being as silent as they could. Artie pointed the room out, and they all entered, closing the door behind them.

"What now?" Marley asked, looking at the closed doors.

"Well, their class should end in a few minutes. We'll just wait here," Finn said.

"Or you could just leave now?" a voice said behind them. The New Directions whipped around.

Sam's heart sunk as he heard the voice. It was Blaine, and he sounded pissed off.

"Blaine!" Tina exclaimed. "But I thought..."

"That I would be in classes? After half the school - including me - saw you guys being pathetic ninjas, I told my teacher who you were. She told me to get rid of you."

The New Directions stared at him silently, shocked at his mean words and cold tone.

"That means leave," Blaine added, mocking a helpful tone.

"You don't even want to know why we came?" Jake asked.

"No. Leave."

"We will if you come too," Unique said quickly. Blaine's eyes widened almost comically with disbelief.

"Do you honestly think I will go anywhere with you guys?" He scoffed loudly.

" Blaine, we're sorry. We were rude to forget that you're our friend, and honestly, we think you need a bit of help," Finn said.

"I'm fine," Blaine snarled. "I can handle this."

"Can you?" Finn asked. "Steroids... Those are big, man. They could ruin your life if you're caught with them."

"I'm not taking them," Blaine said. "And that's why. It's not your problem."

"Blaine, we care about you," Tina said. "You're our friend."

"Am I?" Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or was I always Kurt's boyfriend?"

Tina opened her mouth to deny that, but Ryder interrupted her.

"Don't change the subject, Blaine. You aren't taking steroids now, but what if they told you to leave the Warblers if you didn't? Would you say no?"

Blaine opened his mouth, immediately ready to deny it. Then his eyes met Sam's, and he found himself unable to lie. Honestly, Blaine didn't know if he would or not. He had come close to taking them already.

"And that's why we're worried, Blaine," Finn said. "Last year, for Sectionals, when you had a problem with Sam's idea for our dancing, then you spoke up and refused to do it. That was when you didn't know us, and we weren't very welcoming to you. Now, with your old friends, you can't say no. Why?"

Blaine stared at Finn for a moment, looking earnestly into his eyes. For the first time, Finn noticed the deep bags under his eyes. He looked exhausted. Was he even sleeping?

Then Blaine dropped his gaze to the ground.

"I don't know," he whispered.

"Blaine, the Warblers have changed. It's like you said last year: they don't have class anymore. "

"This really isn't the group you left, Blaine," Sam added.

Blaine snapped his gaze onto Sam.

"Do you think I don't know that? I knew Hunter and Sebastian changed the Warblers! But that's all I thought they changed. I didn't realize its members changed too." His voice had been loud, but by the end, it was hardly more than a whisper. "I don't know what to do," he added, even quieter.

"I do know one thing you could do, Blaine," Finn said. "You could come back to the New Directions."

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Kurt hung up the phone, staring at it for a few moments. Were the New Directions really at _Dalton_?

Were they really getting _Blaine_ out of Dalton?

With what Rachel had told him about Blaine's actions, Kurt knew that Blaine would rip a hole into them.

He only wanted to know why.

Blaine treasured his relationships. Before Dalton, he hadn't had many friends. Actually, Blaine had never mentioned a friend before Dalton.

Kurt knew that, even while he, himself, was at Dalton, friendship could surprise Blaine. Just someone being the slightest bit thoughtful would bring a smile to his face.

Friendship could also scare Blaine. It had taken him forever to tell Kurt he fancied him. Blaine had said that was because he didn't want to lose their friendship.

Kurt really didn't know why Blaine was throwing the New Directions away.

That had never been him. Blaine would never end friendships. Not when he treasured them so greatly, anyway.

Kurt sighed. Apparently, he had sighed loud enough for Rachel to hear because she immediately called his name.

"Kurt!" Rachel yelled from another room.

"What?" he called back, starting to make his way towards her. She waited until he was in the room before speaking again.

"I'm sick of you moping over Blaine, and I want to see the New Directions again."

"Yeah?" Kurt said. "And why are you saying this?"

"We're going home for Thanksgiving."

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"Is Blaine still talking to _them_ in the choir room?" Sebastian asked. Hunter nodded. The rest of the Warblers were in the Senior Commons.

Hunter gritted his teeth. They needed Blaine to stay. He was good; Hunter was willing to admit that. Even without the steroids, he added to the group.

Blaine was also determined. He had taught Trent and himself the routine without the steroids. David still needed work, but he was close, too.

Hunter would have called that impossible.

"You don't think they're trying to convince him to go back, do you?" Sebastian asked.

"I'm sure they're trying," Hunter said.

"Do you think he will?" Sebastian asked nervously.

"I don't know," Hunter said. "Dammit! I don't know because he isn't close to any of us individually!"

"I told you, Hunter. I'm not going to play him like that," Sebastian said.

"It's not playing him," Hunter hissed. "Be honest to him if you want. I don't care. Just get close to him."

"I will," Sebastian said with a sigh.

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**Hey, guys! Sorry for the long wait. I was busy (and a bit lazy.) Also, in light of recent events, I wanted to wait until a more appropriate time to update.**

**A small poem dedicated to a man who wasn't perfect but loved and was loved.**

_Every star is a soul_

_Twinkling in the sky_

_Not one can be touched_

_They are too high_

_They glitter brightly_

_Untouched by worry_

_And by hate and heartbreak_

_There's no need to hurry_

_Time cannot bother_

_They hang, tranquil and cold_

_But the souls watch over_

_Every field of gold_

_If one listens_

_Then they can hear_

_With the souls watching_

_There's no need to fear_

_Every star has a name_

_From beginning to end_

_Every name has a face_

_Many are that of a friend_

_But they aren't gone_

_Not forever, at least_

_Just like the sun_

_They rise in the east_

_And one day they will_

_Rise up so high_

_That again they'll take off_

_And be able to fly_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee!**

**Please read and review!**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers and readers!**


	9. Conversations

"You want _me_ back in the New Directions?" Blaine said. Finn's brow scrunched with surprise. Blaine didn't sound angry. He actually sounded incredulous, like that was the last thing he thought would happen.

"Yeah, of course we do," Jake said. "You're great-"

"And now it makes more sense," Blaine commenting, interrupting him. "I'm being used for my voice."

"No," Finn said. "You belong there."

Blaine froze as Finn said he should go back. A confusing mix of emotions ran through him. He closed his eyes, trying to control them.

Anger. He knew they weren't his friends. The New Directions only wanted to keep him for his voice.

Disappointment. He wanted to be their friend. Blaine liked them, but he knew - and accepted - that that could never happen.

Fear. He knew that Hunter and Sebastian planned to get him to take the steroids. Blaine was honestly afraid of if he would agree or not. The New Directions were a way to escape that.

Failure. He couldn't seem to stick beside any decision he made.

Loneliness. He missed them. Blaine missed his friends, and he missed Kurt.

No. He didn't. Kurt was out of his life.

However, he couldn't help but notice that his life had fallen to hell once Kurt was gone.

And once he had transferred to Dalton.

He opened his eyes, a tear rapidly falling down his cheek. Blaine would have wiped it off, but he didn't want to look even more pathetic.

"I - I," he stuttered. "I have to leave." He walked quickly around the New Directions, his head down, not meeting their eyes.

Blaine ignored how Finn grabbed his arm and just shook his grip off.

At the door, he paused. Half turning towards the group behind him, he spoke.

"You guys need to leave. We need our choir room for practice."

"Fine, Blaine," Finn said, anger making his voice louder. "Run away. Again. That's what you do, isn't it? That's why you're at Dalton again."

Blaine whipped around, trembling with anger. He lunged at Finn, shoving him backwards towards the wall.

"How dare you!" he shouted. "You have no idea what happened."

"A breakup?" Finn shouted, stepping closer to Blaine and making the smaller boy look up even further. "Rachel and I broke up. And yet, here I am, still talking to my old friends."

"Whoever said we were friends?" Blaine sneered.

"Look!" Ryder said, moving in between Finn and Blaine. Blaine clenched his hands into fists, feeling his fingernails dig into his palms.

"Blaine, I get it. You think that we only thought of you as Kurt's boyfriend. I can't speak for the others, but I've never met Kurt."

Blaine froze. Slowly, his hands unclenched. Ryder was right. Kurt had graduated before he had joined Glee. Looking at the others, he saw others nodding to Ryder's statement.

Kitty. Marley. Jake. Unique.

None of them had ever met Kurt.

Blaine felt as if his mind had short-circuited. He had believed that they never liked him. They had only tolerated him because of Kurt.

That wasn't true. Not for all of them, at least.

But what did that mean?

He knew he couldn't leave the Warblers. Well, he could leave Hunter and Sebastian. They weren't the reason he was staying.

It was Trent and David.

He had worked so hard with them, so that they wouldn't have to take the steroids.

There was no way he could leave them.

"I didn't realize that, and it's nice to know that you guys were – maybe even still are – my friends. But the Warblers are where I belong, and we've worked too hard for Sectionals for me to leave now. Besides, there's less than a week until the competition. Now isn't the time to change anything."

Blaine looked at each of the New Directions as he said this. Sam sent him a small smile as their eyes met. Blaine grinned back; he knew what it meant.

'I'm here for you.'

And that was exactly what he needed to hear.

"You guys should leave now. Before they send for security."

"We'll meet up sometime, though, right?" Unique asked. Blaine smiled.

"Yeah."

The New Directions smiled, every member happy with Blaine's response.

One by one, they left the room. Blaine watched them leave, a small smile on his face.

It seemed that there were more people that cared about him than he had thought.

Blaine thought it was a nice feeling.

Sam walked up to Blaine and clasped him on the shoulder.

"That went well," he said.

"And you didn't think it would?" Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow. His smile grew. Sam had looked a mix of annoyed and nervous in the beginning. It wasn't hard to tell that he'd thought the meeting would have been much worse.

"Considering the first plan was to ambush you in your dorm room and kidnap you for the weekend? No. I didn't."

Blaine chuckled. "That has to be the worst plan I've ever heard."

"Well… We are a bunch of pathetic ninjas…" Both boys laughed loudly.

"You really do have to go. Hunter's going to have my head for wasting practice time."

"Honestly, Blaine?" Sam said. "I think he'll just be glad that you didn't end up leaving for good."

Blaine thought about it for a moment.

"You know, I did consider it. But I think Dalton's the place for me."

"And we're okay with that. You're too good of a friend to lose, Blaine."

"Thanks, Sam. It's nice to hear that," Blaine said. Sam and Blaine stared into each other's eyes for a moment.

Then Sam blushed slightly and looked away.

"Sam?" Blaine questioned, his eyebrows scrunching up with confusion.

"Damn you, Blaine. Every time I look at you, I think of that conversation in the Lima Bean." Sam blushed even brighter. Blaine smirked slightly.

"You mean when I told you that you have a nice ass?" Sam blushed even brighter, not quite able to meet Blaine's eyes.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "That one."

"It's true, you know. Just a compliment," Blaine said. He paused. "I could give you quite a few more."

Sam met Blaine's eyes again. Blaine was surprised how embarrassed Sam was.

"I better leave. The New Directions already think something's going on between us."

Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"Do tell?"

"I was forced to repeat _that_ conversation to them." Blaine snorted.

"I bet they loved that. A lot of drama. You did tell them why I did it, right, Sam?" Sam didn't answer. Blaine was referring to the fact that he was trying to scare Sam away.

"On that note," Sam said, not answering. "I think it's time I leave."

"Sam?" Blaine said, wondering why Sam hadn't told them.

Sam just turned and left but not before Blaine saw his face.

He was blushing again. Why?

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**Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Tell me what you think, especially about Sam! Review please!**

**Thanks for all the reviews, favourites, and follows!**

**I've decided that this will be updated every Saturday and Tuesday!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee!**


	10. The Aftermath

"Hey, Killer," Sebastian greeted as he strutted – actually strutted – into the choir room. Blaine glanced at him, nearly questioning his walk but deciding not to bother.

"Hey, Sebastian."

"Finally got rid of all the freaks, did you?" Blaine felt a flash of irritation, and Sam's words suddenly occurred to him.

"_Sebastian… changing your mind… playing with your loyalty."_

Blaine's annoyance rose even higher as Sebastian flashed him a charming smile.

"Actually, no, I didn't. If I did, then you wouldn't be here." Blaine saw a flash of hurt in Sebastian's eyes.

He couldn't actually care, could he? After all, Sebastian wasn't that kind of person.

As soon as Blaine noticed the hurt, it was gone, replaced, once again, by that infuriating smile. He stepped closer – uncomfortably close – to Blaine.

"Sexy," he said with an obvious wink. "I like boys who bite back." Before Blaine could respond, the other Warblers entered. He saw Trent raise an eyebrow at how close he and Sebastian were standing. Immediately, he flushed and took a step back, cursing his reaction even as it happened.

It had _really_ implied that something had happened.

Blaine sat down and turned away from Sebastian as he sat next to him. Once again, he was very close, and Blaine could feel his hot breath on his ear.

He tried to ignore it the best he could.

"_Playing hard to get, Killer?" _Sebastian breathed. Blaine felt a shiver run down his back, and from Sebastian's chuckle, he knew that Sebastian had noticed it as well. _ "You'll be mine in the end, Blaine. That's a promise."_

Blaine bit back an angry retort, knowing Sebastian would only twist anything he said. Honestly, Sebastian was the last person he wanted to deal with but having Sebastian's leg pressed up against him was not helping the matter.

Luckily, Blaine was saved from having to deal with Sebastian by Hunter speaking.

"As you all know, Sectionals are only a few days away. That means that we all need to be ready. Blaine, Trent, David? Have you managed to learn the routine?" Hunter asked mockingly, like he didn't think that it would have been possible.

Blaine knew better. He and Trent had perfected it – they were ready. David was extremely close. All he had to do was work on his consistency.

"We are," Trent said, sending a smirk at Hunter. Blaine had a feeling that Trent did _not_ like Hunter. In fact, he was pretty sure considering Trent had told him that Hunter and Sebastian destroyed the Warblers and built their own twisted abominations.

Yeah, Trent wasn't a fan of them…

"Well, then," Hunter said, looking slightly shocked by Trent's confidence. "I guess we better run through it. Oh – and if you three mess up… you're out."

"Of course, Hunter," Blaine said, a bit coldly. "We're all ready."

"Then let's see it, Blaine Warbler."

Hunter walked into formation, and the others followed quickly. Blaine met Trent and David's eyes and nodded.

They could do this.

It's what they worked for.

The song began, and even though Blaine had heard it a million times, he was still shocked by the audacity of singing a song about _blow jobs_ of all things.

What had happened to the Warblers?

Blaine fell into the choreography easily – there had never been a dance that he's practiced more. A glance at Trent and David showed that they, too, were completing it easily.

Blaine smiled slightly. He was so proud of them.

Hunter finished the first song, and Blaine prepared himself. For a moment, he thought about how far he had come. He wasn't even breathing heavily. In the beginning, he could hardly sing because of how out of breath he was.

Beginning the song, Blaine began to get into it, but he didn't stray from Hunter's choreography at all.

He didn't dare. After all, this wasn't the New Directions.

Blaine saw Trent and knew that he was doing well.

Blaine bumped shoulders with Cameron, noticing how the other boy towered over him. He was used to having people taller than him, but the steroids had only accentuated that.

He looked ridiculously small next to some of them.

Blaine felt worry flood through him as they neared the one part of the song he dreaded.

It was nearly time for David to do the round-off layout step-out. He glanced behind himself, not breaking choreography, at the exactly right moment, seeing David land it, perfectly.

And yeah, it was lower than the others, but that didn't matter.

Because it was still as impressive as hell.

Blaine smiled even wider.

They had done it. He, Trent, and David had learned the choreography – without the drugs.

That was amazing. There had been moments where he hadn't thought they would pull it off, but as the song ended, Blaine knew that they had.

And, in a few days, they would prove it – by winning Sectionals.

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Kurt sat, taking deep, calming breaths as he waited for the plane to begin going down the runway. Suddenly nervous, he turned to Rachel.

"Rachel? What if Blaine hates me?"

"Kurt?" Rachel asked, looking a bit confused. "Why on Earth would Blaine hate you?"

"I don't know!" he exclaimed, making a few people look across the row at him. He got a bit quieter. "I feel like I won't even know him anymore!"

"Kurt, he's the same Blaine that came to New York a bit ago."

"No!" Kurt cried out. "He's not! He's changed! Like completely!"

"He really hasn't, Kurt," Rachel said, rolling her eyes. "Just think of him as the old Blaine. After all, nothing big could change in that little of time."

"But it has, Rachel!" Kurt protested. "He went back to Dalton! He's probably dating Sebastian… Oh my god! What do I do if he's dating Sebastian?"

"Kurt!" Rachel shouted, drawing even more eyes to them. "He won't be dating Sebastian! Blaine has better standards than that."

"I don't know about that, Rachel…"

"Why not?" Rachel said, frustrated and almost growling the words.

"…He went on a date with you once…"

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As soon as the New Directions all piled in – rather unsafely – into one car, they began talking about Blaine.

"He was _so_ mean at first," Tina said, sounding a bit shocked.

"Yeah," Ryder added. "I've never heard Blaine sound _that_ cold." Finn grunted, agreeing.

"It was fake," Unique said. "All of it. You saw how he broke down." Sam nodded.

"And that's why we needed to talk to him. He broke down to us after only a few minutes. How quickly would he have broken on the steroids issue?" The whole group groaned as the steroids were brought up.

"I can't believe the Warblers are _cheating_, and we aren't doing anything about it," Artie said.

"We can't do anything," Finn said almost immediately. "Unintentional as it is, the fact that three of their members are clean will mean that they can easily prove their innocence."

"Yeah," Kitty added. "Other than a confession – which we won't get, then nothing can prove it."

"We can't even accuse them," Jake added. "The Warblers are one of the most respected show choirs in the country. There's honestly nothing we can do."

"We're going to lose at Sectionals," Tina stated.

"Hey, Tina!" Finn exclaimed. "We are _not_ going to lose. After all, Blaine and the other two Warblers are doing the same stuff as the ones that took steroids."

"Not to mention practicing nonstop," Marley added.

"We aren't going to give up, guys," Finn said. "We can do this. And we will. Let's show Dalton that we don't need drugs to do well."

The group nodded and agreed.

It was not over yet.

They wouldn't let it be.

Tina frowned as she pulled her phone out her pocket. She had just received a text. Of course, that in itself wasn't strange, but it was a bit weird that it was from Blaine.

After all, he'd seemed like he wasn't really planning on being on friendly terms with all of the New Directions. If anything, she'd thought he would befriend the members that hadn't known Kurt. Not that she was complaining, of course.

She checked to make sure no one was looking over her shoulder before opening it.

"_Keep an eye on Marley for me, okay? She looks too thin. Has she been eating? - Blaine"_

Tina smiled, no matter what Blaine had said in the beginning, he had always cared about the New Directions.

Then she frowned, looking sideways at Marley. She did seem really thin.

Something seemed wrong, and Tina Cohen-Chang was going to get to the bottom of it.

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**Hey, guys! I hope you like this chapter! I thought it turned out pretty well! What did you think of Blaine's concern for Marley? **

**Sectionals is coming up, and Kurt and Rachel are coming home!**

**Tell me what you think! Review, please!**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers and readers – You guys are the reason this story continues!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee!**


	11. Warblers At Sectionals

Tina watched as Marley tried to skip lunch again. It was the day of Sectionals, and Marley still wasn't eating. Tina had been pushing her to eat for over a day, but she wasn't. It was obvious that she had a problem, and truthfully, Tina couldn't believe that _Blaine _had had to point it out to her.

He had seen her for twenty minutes – maybe less – and knew something was wrong immediately. The New Directions were with Marley daily, and no one had noticed that anything was wrong.

"Marley!" Tina said, coming up behind her. "You can't skip lunch!"

"What?" she said, at once looking nervous. Tina was shocked by how meek she seemed. "I – I…"

"Marley, you have to eat. Why aren't you?"

"I just – I'm –" She looked down and crossed her arms over her stomach. Tina felt her mouth drop open as she realized why Marley wasn't eating.

She thought she was fat? Marley was so thin and beautiful. Now, however, Tina could see that she was too thin.

Tina grabbed her arm – holy shit, her hand nearly wrapped completely around Marley's upper arm – and led her into the hallway, away from the others.

"Hey! Hey, Tina! What are you doing?" Marley protested, hardly raising her voice. After all, she had a very good idea of what Tina was doing, and she didn't really want anyone to overhear.

Without preamble, as soon as they were away from the others, Tina spoke.

"You're not fat. You're beautiful. You have to eat."

"I – I," Marley stuttered, trying to respond without completely saying she disagreed with Tina.

"I know you can't see that, Marley," Tina said, a bit softer than before. "But I can, and so can everyone else… Except Kitty. But that's because Kitty's a jealous bitch."

"B – but my costume… for Grease. You saw that they didn't fit," she whispered, crossing her arms over her stomach again.

"They didn't fit because they were altered, Marley," Tina said seriously. She didn't know that for sure, but she needed to say that to help Marley.

And the thought had crossed her mind. Even though she had told Marley that it was 'stress bloating' she knew that it wouldn't have affected her that much. Besides, Tina wasn't even sure if stress bloating was a real thing.

"Why would they have been altered?" she whispered, looking down.

"Because Kitty was jealous. Think, Marley, other than Kitty, who has ever made fun of you for how you look?" Marley met Tina's eyes, and she saw that Marley was holding back tears.

Without waiting for Marley to answer, Tina continued.

"We all know you're beautiful, Marley. You're stunning, even Sue admitted it."

"Sue didn't say I was beautiful," Marley protested. "She said she couldn't think of something mean to say."

"Sue always has something mean to say," Tina said, rolling her eyes. "With you there _is_ nothing mean you could say. Look at me: Sue's called me so many names… Hag-For-Life and Florence Nightmareingale are sticking out in my mind. There was nothing mean to say about you."

"I don't know…"

"Please, Marley," Tina said. "We have Sectionals today. You have a solo, and you need to be at your best. Starving yourself won't help."

"What if my costume doesn't fit, though," Marley said, so quietly that Tina could hardly hear it.

"Marley, I promise it will. No one will alter it this time. It _will_ fit." Marley smiled at Tina, and Tina was glad to see that it was a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Tina," Marley said.

"Let's go have lunch," Tina said, returning Marley's smile. "After all, we have a competition today."

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Kurt took a deep breath as they exited the airport.

"Do you think Blaine –" he started. Rachel groaned loudly.

"No, he won't hate you. Yes, he'll want to see you. No, he won't be dating Sebastian or any other person."

"Sorry," Kurt said with a sheepish smile. "I'm just-"

"Worried," Rachel interrupted. "Yeah, I've only heard that fifty times today. Honestly, and people call me annoying!"

"Come on, Rachel," Kurt spat angrily. "We have to go quickly."

"What time is it?" Rachel asked

"Too late," Kurt replied over his shoulder. "We might have to go straight to McKinley for Sectionals."

"But – but," Rachel protested. "I need to change! My clothes look terrible from the flight, and my hair must look so bad!"

"Rachel," Kurt said impatiently. "You have a portable _house _in your suitcase. Get ready in the car. We have a bit of a drive there."

"Fine," Rachel huffed, rolling her eyes and getting into the car.

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Blaine swallowed, slightly nervous, as they stood backstage. Today was it. Sectionals.

This was what they had been working so hard for.

Today was the day that they had to beat New Directions. Blaine couldn't help but wonder that, if he beat them, would they hate him?

He shook his head immediately as the thought crossed his mind.

That was the last thing he needed to be thinking about now.

"So, Blaine, you ready for today?" Sebastian said, coming up behind him and standing a bit too close for Blaine to be comfortable. Discreetly taking a small step back, Blaine nodded.

"Of course. We've all worked hard to get here."

"Some harder than others," Sebastian said, looking at him carefully. Blaine only nodded, looking away. He really didn't want to deal with Sebastian right now.

"You know, Blaine. I care about you quite a bit." Blaine's eyes snapped back to Sebastian. While he expected all of the dumb pickup lines and innuendos, he wasn't expecting Sebastian to come straight out and say that.

"I – I," Blaine stuttered. "I'm sorry Sebastian but-"

"But you're an asshole," a voice snapped. Blaine whipped around and saw David standing there. He was clearly angry.

"Honestly, Sebastian, you've been trying to 'get' Blaine for too long. He's not interested. Give it up already."

By this point, all of the Warblers were staring at David, open-mouthed.

"What?" he snapped, seeing them staring. "Everyone knows it. Sebastian, stop flirting. It bothers Blaine, and it's not going to get you anywhere."

"And how do you know that?" Sebastian said, remarkably not bothered by David's words. He set his hand on Blaine's arm. Blaine flinched as it touched him, and he shrugged it off.

"You're a terrible person, Sebastian!" David seethed. "You say that you've turned over a new leaf, but you can't change who you are like that. You can't change how you act, and you sure as hell can't change what you think!"

"You're wrong," Sebastian said surely.

"No, he's right," Blaine said. "I'm sorry, Sebastian, but I'm not interested." Sebastian looked at him for a moment, as if trying to decide if he was lying. Blaine held his gaze, hoping that finally, Sebastian would catch a hint.

Or, actually, it was much more than a hint.

"Sorry, killer," Sebastian said. "But I'm not finished with you yet." Blaine rolled his eyes.

"You should be. I don't like you, Sebastian, and I don't like your methods. Yeah, you're better this year, but in the end, I'm not into one night stands."

"Who said it would only be one night, killer?" Sebastian said. Blaine opened his mouth to reply, but Trent interrupted him.

"Uh, guys? We're going on in a minute." Just then, they heard Hunter's voice.

"I'm Hunter Clarington, and we're the Dalton Academy Warblers. I hope you enjoy the show."

With that, the first song started. Blaine once again fell into the choreography easily. He knew Trent and David were doing great, too. After all, they had practiced so hard.

It had to be perfect.

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Kurt watched as the Warblers started.

"Oh my god," he breathed.

"That's insane," Rachel agreed. They were doing crazy good choreography. Kurt looked at Blaine. He looked so… _tiny _next to the other Warblers.

"He looks so small," Kurt breathed.

"That's not good," Rachel commented with a grimace.

"Yeah, it is," Kurt disagreed. "Because that means that he isn't taking the steroids. He didn't do them."

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The New Directions watched as the Warblers finished the first song.

"Oh my god," Tina whispered to Sam. "I can't believe they sang about _blowjobs_."

"I know," Sam whispered with a quiet laugh. "And Blaine wouldn't do a body roll last year."

"They grow up so fast," Tina said pretending to sniffle.

"Blaine does look a bit sloppy up there compared to the others."

"Yeah, I know," Tina answered. "They look _really_ good. How will we even have a chance?"

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Blaine continued singing, smiling now as he took the lead. It was going perfectly. Just as they had practiced.

He knew that he, Trent, and David could do it. Still, though, he couldn't help but feel nervous as they came to David's big moment.

Blaine knew he could land it, though. He had done it quite a bit in practice.

Blaine didn't even glance behind him. He knew that David could do it, and he didn't need to see it be done. Instead, he just focused on the song…

As one, the crowd stopped cheering (Blaine had never heard the audience at Sectionals so loud) and gasped. Blaine turned, still singing, not allowing himself to falter.

To his horror, David was on the ground, clutching at his ankle.

He had fallen.

And he had gotten hurt.

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**Hey, guys! I hope you like this chapter! David fell! Oh no! What will happen?**

**And what will happen with Marley?**

**Tell me what you think! Please review!**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers! Especially Dr. Pepper87 for the idea of David calling Seb an asshole!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.**


	12. Alone

Blaine froze, the words still coming out of his mouth, but he was just standing, staring at David. David was still on the ground. The other Warblers had continued, leaving him on the middle of the stage. Blaine spun around, breaking choreography – he could practically feel Hunter's eyes burning him with a fierce glare – and ran back to David.

He could see the sweat glistening on David's forehead, and how pale he was. His ankle didn't look terrible – maybe a sprain?

"Tonight let's get some and live while we're young!" he sang, pulling David on his feet and clasping him on the shoulder, trying to make it look like that was meant to happen.

"Wanna live while we're young," Blaine sang, fake-pushing David in line with the others. He stepped gingerly on his ankle, clearly in pain, but he wasn't hurt badly. Blaine also began doing the correct choreography.

They could still do this.

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"Oh my god!" Kurt exclaimed, watching as David collapsed on stage. He saw Blaine falter but keep singing. Horrified, Kurt saw that the other Warblers were ignoring David, who hadn't stood yet.

He saw that Trent – whom he firmly believed was the nicest of the Warblers (other than Blaine, who belonged with the New Directions) – glance at David and falter, as if he was going to help.

A glare from Sebastian obviously stopped him.

Then Blaine, turned, smoothly, as if it was not breaking choreography, and pulled David to his feet. He clasped him on the shoulder and pushed him into line with the other Warblers.

It almost looked like they meant to do it.

The rest of the song went flawlessly, despite the fact that David had been limping slightly.

"And live while we're young," Blaine finished, smiling widely.

They exited the stage, and Kurt breathed in deeply.

"That was still good," he said quietly.

"It almost looked like they meant for David to fall."

"They could still win," Kurt said. He wasn't sure who he wanted to win. On one hand, he wanted Blaine to get into a good college, and he would need a win at least at Regionals to do that.

On the other, maybe if New Directions won, then he would transfer back to McKinley.

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Tina gasped as David fell.

"He didn't take the steroids," she heard one of her teammates whisper harshly.

"Are they just going leave him there?" Sam protested. Then Blaine turned and pulled him up. He clasped his shoulder, and Tina was shocked that it seemed almost like they had meant to do it. Blaine pushed David into line with the other Warblers, and they continued as if nothing had happened.

"That didn't look that bad," Tina said to Sam. He nodded.

"It was timed surprisingly well. With Blaine pulling him up while he sang and everything."

"They could definitely still win."

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Blaine finished, breathing heavily in the ecstasy of performing. Even with David's fall, they had done well.

His fall could – maybe – be taken as almost symbolic. They were living while they're young, even though they fall down sometimes.

Their friends help them get back up.

Okay, that was a bit of a stretch, but the judges were, as always, insane and weren't paid enough to really care, so anything could happen.

As soon as they left the stage, Hunter turned on them. David was lead away to have his ankle checked out. Blaine looked at him as he limped away dejectedly.

"This is your fault," Hunter snarled, getting close - too close – to Blaine as he looked back at Hunter.

Blaine held his hands up, trying to get Hunter to back off a bit.

"We still did well," he protested. "We have a chance."

"Lay off Blaine, Hunter," Trent said quietly. Blaine – despite having Hunter in his face – felt a flash of amusement. Trent was terrible at confronting anyone. He was too nice for it.

"We don't have a chance!" Hunter shouted. "We're done, and even if _you_ can go back to your public school and sing about being friends and accepting everyone, the rest of us _can't_."

"This isn't my fault," Blaine protested, taking a step back.

"They," Hunter motioned towards David and Trent. "Would have taken the – it - if you hadn't protested and offered to learn it without them!"

"I did what was right!" Blaine spat, getting angry. "I didn't cheat."

"I wouldn't have taken them anyway," Trent said, trying to break Hunter and Blaine apart. Both ignored him.

"Hunter, we worked hard, and we did the best we could. It's over, and we can't change it," Blaine said.

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Kurt stood suddenly.

"Come on, I want to go see Blaine before the New Directions go on." Rachel stood, too.

"There's another group performing before them, so we'll have enough time," she said. "Are we just going to sneak backstage?"

"Yep," he said, already exiting the audience.

Rachel followed, looking around carefully. Of course, there was no security because no one really cared about show choir.

They walked backstage and immediately saw a large group of blazers.

"We don't have a chance!" Kurt heard someone shout – a Warbler, assumedly. "We're done, and even if _you_ can go back to your public school and sing about being friends and accepting everyone, the rest of us _can't_."

"This isn't my fault," Kurt heard Blaine protest. Even in their current situation, Kurt felt a sad pang in his heart as he heard Blaine's voice.

"They," the first voice spoke again. "Would have taken the – it - if you hadn't protested and offered to learn it without them!"

Kurt heard the Warbler – perhaps Hunter, the leader - barely refrain from shouting about the drugs in his anger. Rachel gasped.

"I did what was right!" Blaine spat. "I didn't cheat." Kurt winced at his ex-boyfriend's anger. He sounded furious. He and Rachel snuck around, to try and see Blaine and Hunter.

Kurt saw that Hunter was ridiculously close to Blaine, and Blaine was clenching his fists. Kurt felt his breath catch as he saw Blaine for the first time in too long. He looked the same, but he was so different.

Kurt had never thought he'd see Blaine in a Dalton blazer again. It was almost painful to register it.

The blazer made him feel as though he was having some weird flashback to his junior year and the craziness back then.

Not that the current times weren't just as or even crazier.

"I wouldn't have taken them anyway," Trent said, trying to step between Blaine and Hunter. It didn't work.

"Hunter, we worked hard, and we did the best we could. It's over, and we can't change it," Blaine said. Kurt smiled; Blaine was still so composed, even as angry as he was.

His calm words seemed to make Hunter even angrier, but he paused for a moment. Kurt waited for the inevitable retort, hoping it wouldn't be too bad for Blaine.

He couldn't believe that no one but Trent was standing up for Blaine.

Not that Trent was doing much anyway.

Kurt glanced around the other Warblers. Nick, Jeff, Thad, Sebastian… Well, with Sebastian it wasn't surprising, but he couldn't believe that the others weren't standing up for him.

Did winning really mean that much to them?

There was a loud, sharp sound, and Kurt whipped his eyes back to Sebastian and Blaine. Blaine was on the ground, a hand held up to his cheek, eyes shocked.

"Oh my god, Blaine!" Trent said, crouching beside him. Hunter sneered and turned, walking away. To Kurt's disgust, the other Warblers – not including Trent – followed him, some not even glancing at Blaine.

"Blaine," Kurt cried, running over. He crouched down beside Trent as Blaine's eyes found his.

Slowly, he took his hand from his cheek, using it instead to reach out and touch Kurt's shoulder, as if he wasn't real.

"Kurt?" he whispered. Kurt felt a warm tingle fly through his body at the touch.

"Blaine," he said quietly. "Are you okay?" His eyes found Blaine's cheek, and the hand – shaped red mark. To his shock, Blaine laughed, hysterical and sarcastic.

"Of course," he said, loudly. "I've just had more people turn their backs on me, and I'm currently surrounded by people who hate me because I'm an idiot!"

"Blaine!" Kurt protested, drowning out Trent's protests. "I don't hate you. As much as I tried to, I never did."

"Why?" Blaine said. "I'm so _stupid_. I thought I could find a home with the people who accepted me and just made a mistake when they hurt me because it was all Sebastian's fault, and they didn't know. And I'm sure they're laughing because once again, they've left me completely alone."

"You aren't alone, Blaine," Trent said. "You have David and I, and the New Directions. You helped us be in the Warblers but stay true to ourselves, too."

"Yeah, because that turned out well," Blaine scoffed. He stood up again, but Trent stopped him from walking away.

"It did. You made that mistake look almost intentional on stage. We still have a chance."

"Hunter doesn't think so," Blaine said bitterly, motioning pointedly to his cheek.

"Who cares what Hunter thinks? Come on, I'm sure the New Directions are performing soon, and I definitely want to see that."

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**Hey guys! So, what did you think? Did Blaine cover up the fall enough for them to have a chance?**

**Kurt and Blaine we reunited! Yay! But what about Sam? The New Directions perform next chapter!**

**Please review!**

**Thanks to my old reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee!**


	13. Not Gone

"Sure," Blaine said, following Trent out as though everything was normal, as if he hadn't just been freaking out.

Kurt watched as he began to leave. Then words spilled, nearly unintentionally, out of his mouth.

"There are a few seats by us… You know, if you don't want to sit by the other Warblers."

"Kurt, I appreciate it, really, but you're the last thing I need to think about right now. I'm sure Trent and I will find some seats," Blaine said. He didn't sound angry or mean.

Actually, he sounded sad. Then he turned and walked back, ignoring Kurt's open mouth. Trent shot him an almost apologetic look as he left.

Kurt swallowed, feeling a bit of betrayal hit him. He didn't know why. After all, they weren't dating. In fact, he and Blaine could hardly be called friends.

So why did Kurt hurt so badly when he walked away?

"C'mon, Kurt," Rachel said quietly. "We have to go back to our seats."

Mechanically, Kurt nodded, still lost in thought.

"I can't believe Hunter hit him," Rachel whispered harshly as they walked. "I would never hit someone over a performance they tried their best in, and I'm obsessed with winning!"

"I know, Rachel," Kurt said. "That must have really hurt Blaine. You could see it in his eyes."

"And in what he said," Rachel added. "He really did think of the Warblers as his family, didn't he? Even at McKinley."

"That's why it hurt him so badly when they hurt him," Kurt said. "He pretended it didn't, but I heard him crying at his house, and when I went into his room, all of his pictures of the Warblers were torn up and in his trash."

"That's so sad," Rachel said as they slipped into their seats right as the group was finishing. Kurt could see Blaine and Trent sitting a few rows in front of them.

They weren't anywhere near the other Warblers.

"I think Blaine thought the Warblers would accept him when no one else seemed too. He needed their companionship, and their betrayal hurt him."

"I don't understand why they accepted him so quickly before and won't now. I know Hunter and Sebastian changed them, but I don't think two people could change a group so much."

"Rachel, remember: Blaine was a freshman when he transferred. Most of the guys Blaine knew are gone now. Even Wes, who was his best friend there, has graduated. Trent and David are two of the guys who accepted him, and they obviously stuck with him."

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Blaine slid into his seat next to Trent.

"So, Blaine," Trent said, sounding a bit awkward. "Why was Kurt there? I thought you two weren't talking…"

"We weren't," Blaine said. "I don't know why he was there. Honestly, I don't even want to deal with that right now."

"Blaine, don't push him away," Trent said. "You can't push everyone away from you." For a moment, Blaine was really annoyed.

After all, who was Trent to tell him what to do? Trent was never even close to Kurt, and he didn't even know the full story behind their breakup.

He was only Blaine's friend, meaning he couldn't tell Blaine what to do.

But looking at Trent's face, he knew that Trent wasn't 'telling' him to do anything. He was only concerned because he _was_ Blaine's friend, and Blaine mattered to him.

Blaine calmed down, a small smile gracing his face. Trent truly was a good friend. Blaine thought

"I know, and I'm sure Kurt and I will talk eventually. But not now. I'm not ready for that yet."

Before he was finished speaking, the New Directions were introduced, and suddenly, Blaine heard Tina start the song. He smiled as he heard her. Tina had always wanted a solo for competition. He should have been expecting it, honestly, as she was now a senior.

Now, however, he realized that he had almost been expecting the old New Directions; the New Directions he had competed against as a Warbler before he had transferred.

When he was part of the old Warblers.

Before they were corrupted by Sebastian and Hunter.

Blaine was still smiling. After all, Tina was pretty nice. She was pretty close to a friend for him. His eyes found Marley, dancing in the back. She still looked thin, but she was definitely less pale.

He was glad. Tina must have talked to her. She had looked borderline ready to collapse at Dalton. That was not healthy, and he didn't want her to get hurt.

Honestly, he didn't know why he wanted to help Marley. Maybe because she was so nice and naïve, and he didn't want that to be broken.

He didn't want her to be hurt by life. Blaine shook his head, trying to concentrate on the song again. It was almost finished.

He watched as they all struck a pose at the end of Gangam Style. Then he felt eyes on his back, staring.

Curious, he turned his head, looking for who was staring at him.

It was Kurt. In the background, as he and Kurt's eyes met, he heard the New Directions start their second song.

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Kurt stared at Blaine, meeting his eyes as Blaine looked back.

_When life leaves you high and dry  
I'll be at your door tonight_

Blaine stared at Kurt somberly, and Kurt kept his gaze, refusing to look away.

_If you need help, if you need help.  
I'll shut down the city lights,_

Blaine's eyes seemed to convey an unspoken message to Kurt. They looked like they had when Kurt admitted to the bullying at his school. It seemed so long ago, but that image of Blaine was burnt into his memory. Blaine was offering to help.

_I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg and bribe  
To make you well, to make you well._

Now, Kurt tried to convey his own message. He did cheat, and it still hurt.

_When enemies are at your door_

Kurt's eyes flickered to the Warblers and back, but Blaine didn't seem to see that.

_I'll carry you away from war_

Blaine, again, seemed to be offering to help. Kurt didn't know what he wanted to help; what he wanted to make better.

_If you need help, if you need help.  
Your hope dangling by a string_

Kurt hoped they could get together again. He still loved Blaine, and truthfully, he thought Blaine still loved him, too.

_I'll share in your suffering  
To make you well, to make you well._

Blaine's eyes softened, looking even lighter and more beautiful. Kurt realized that Blaine hadn't wanted to hurt him.__

Give me reasons to believe  
That you would do the same for me.

Now, Blaine's eyes turned hard. Kurt swallowed hard. He knew he wasn't blameless for seeming like he had no time for Blaine. Kurt had ignored the love of his life for too long.__

And I would do it for you, for you.

Only you.

_Baby, I'm not moving on_

Both were frozen in place, in time. Both knew the truth.

_I love you long after you're gone._

Love you forever.

_For you, for you.  
You would never sleep alone._

Kurt smiled as he remembered their nights together. Blaine was perfect. He had always been perfect, but even perfection could make mistakes.

_I love you long after you're gone  
And long after you're gone, gone, gone._

Kurt saw the clear question in Blaine's eyes. Are you gone, they asked? __

When you fall like a statue  
I'm gon' be there to catch you

Kurt nodded to the words, hoping Blaine understood what he was agreeing to. He knew Blaine did. After all, Blaine knew him very well. They were best friends.

_Put you on your feet, you on your feet.  
And if your well is empty  
Not a thing will prevent me._

Now, Blaine nodded to Kurt.

_Tell me what you need, what do you need?_

I surrender honestly.  
You've always done the same for me.

Kurt knew Blaine was honest. He didn't try to hide the cheating. Blaine had confessed almost immediately.__

So I would do it for you, for you.  
Baby, I'm not moving on,

Blaine turned and, ignoring Trent's question, walked from the audience, towards Kurt.

_I love you long after you're gone.  
For you, for you.  
You would never sleep alone._

Kurt also stood, ignoring Rachel's voice, following Blaine's lead.

_I love you long after you're gone  
And long after you're gone, gone, gone._

"We're not gone," Kurt breathed, and he knew it was true. They had hope. Blaine met Kurt in the back of the audience.__

You're my back bone.

Suddenly, they were embracing, each holding the other up, protecting the other.

_You're my cornerstone.  
You're my crutch when my legs stop moving._

Blaine tilted his head up to look in Kurt's eyes. He smiled gently.

_You're my head start.  
You're my rugged heart._

Kurt smiled back, feeling his heart beating loudly in his chest and feeling Blaine's against his own body.

_You're the pulse that I've always needed._

Their pulses met each other beat for beat, going at the same rhythm, playing the same song.

_Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating._

Kurt pulled Blaine tighter, not needing words.

_Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating.  
Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating._

Blaine was tightening his grip on Kurt, holding on as if he was a life-line.

_Like a drum my heart never stops beating..._

"Never," Blaine breathed.__

For you, for you.  
Baby, I'm not moving on.

"I love you, Blaine."

_I love you long after you're gone.  
For you, for you.  
You would never sleep alone._

"I love you, too."

_I love you long after you're gone.  
For you, for you.  
Baby, I'm not moving on,_

Blaine looked up again, staring into Kurt's beautiful eyes. His own were swimming with tears.

_I love you long after you're gone.  
For you, for you.  
You would never sleep alone.  
I love you long, long after you're gone._

Kurt felt his own eyes tearing up. He couldn't believe that he was here, with Blaine. Together__

Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating.  
Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating.  
Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating.  
Like a drum my heart never stops beating for you.

Kurt almost wanted to laugh because he felt so… so amazing. It was so perfect.__

And long after you're gone, gone, gone.  
I love you long after you're gone, gone, gone. 

"We're not gone," Kurt whispered and leaned down, placing his lips on Blaine's gently. Blaine responded immediately, and Kurt felt the sparks run through him.

He'd missed them so much.

He'd missed Blaine so much.

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**Hey, guys! Sorry for the late update today! I was sooo busy! My school starts in two days! Yay, sophomore year! I'm taking my first AP class, and a ton of honours as usual, so I'm going to be really busy.**

**Please review! Did you like it? What about my song choice? I chose the second song by typing in popular pop songs and looking for lyrics for one that seemed to fit my idea. It's "Gone, Gone, Gone" by Philip Philips (I don't own it.)**

**I've never actually heard the song as I do not listen to pop at all. I'm sorry if it doesn't fit or isn't a good song.**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. If I did, the cast would be made up of the Starkids and Jon cozart (who you should look up on youtube under the channel name "paint.")**


	14. Friends

Blaine stared into Kurt's eyes, reading the love and happiness that was making him nearly tear up. He couldn't believe that he was back in Kurt's arms. He'd thought Kurt had moved on already; he'd heard whispers of someone named 'Adam.'

Blaine had wished for this moment and even dreamed of it, but he never truly thought it would happen. He'd pushed all of Kurt's friends away and left the school because Kurt was in all of them. Every time they smiled, he would see Kurt standing there, smiling with them, and it had hurt like hell.

Blaine had finally fixed that by transferring, but the problems with Dalton were clear. Honestly Blaine wasn't completely happy with the moment. After all, Kurt had ignored him for so long...

He didn't want to be hurt again. Hell, he was Blaine 'Courage' Anderson, and he knew that he'd have to tell Kurt that.

Suddenly, it occurred to him that Kurt wasn't staying long. He would go back to New York, and they'd be - he'd be - right back were he started.

Blaine hated himself for it, but a small voice in his head was asking if it was worth it. Sure, it had been the best time of his life while they were together. However, it was closely followed by the worst time of his life when Kurt left.

Was it worth the heartache? Blaine wasn't an idiot. He knew that he and Kurt still had some issues to work out. As much as he hated to admit it, he thought that they should be friends for a bit before jumping right back into dating.

Blaine loved Kurt, but things had changed. He and Kurt were both different. Last time, that had caused them to grow apart not only as a couple but as friends, too.

Blaine looked at Kurt again before stepping backwards, out of his arms.

This was it. He had to just say it. Of course, he could tell Kurt anything... Couldn't he?

He used to be able to... but now... he didn't know anymore.

...And that's why they should be friends for a bit first.

"I think we should just be friends," he blurted out. Kurt froze, stiffening and stepping backwards. Too late, Blaine realized that his words hadn't come out quite right.

"I loved you, Kurt, and I know you loved me, but we've both changed, and I think that, for our relationship, it would be better to get to know each other again before dating."

Kurt looked a bit confused at Blaine's rambling.

"So," he said slowly. "That's not a..."

"No," Blaine said, knowing what Kurt meant. "We'll be friends until I graduate. Then we won't have to deal with distance, and we'll take it from there, okay?"

"Yeah," Kurt said. "I'd like that, but we have to be friends, Blaine."

"Okay-" Blaine began, only to be interrupted.

"Blaine!" Trent called. "They have the winner. We have to go!"

"Coming," Blaine called back. He looked up at Kurt and smiled.

"I missed you, and I'll get to see you again before you leave, right?"

"Yeah-" Kurt began, but stopped as Blaine turned away.

Blaine pretended he didn't hear the whispered 'I love you' from behind him.

He knew that he'd made the right decision, but it still hurt. Even as he climbed back on stage, he couldn't help but think of Kurt. He still had feelings for Kurt, but they had changed, and he had to figure those out before they started dating again.

That was only fair for both of them.

Blaine looked up from his hands, looking at the competitors around him.

He saw Tina, who looked very excited but very nervous at the same time. And Marley, who looked so scared that, if Blaine didn't know better, he would have thought that she had messed up somewhere. He was sure she hadn't though, she was very good.

He saw Rider and Jake, who looked a lot more compatible than when Blaine had last seen them.

It was amazing that the New Directions hadn't seemed to change at all.

Turning to his own teammates, he could see worry and hope on all of their faces... except two.

Hunter looked furious, probably still angry at him, and David was nearly in tears. Blaine wished to comfort him, but what could he say? If they lost, then it would honestly have been because of him. Hunter saw him looking and sent him a fierce glare, causing Blaine to turn away quickly and look at the New Directions again.

His eyes met Sam's and they shared a smile. Blaine felt a small flutter in the pit of his stomach.

He definitely needed to figure out his feelings.

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Kurt stared up at Blaine on the stage. He couldn't believe what had just happened.

Kurt had thought that Blaine would apologize again and be thrilled to be his boyfriend; damn, thinking like that made him sound really shallow.

Blaine had cheated. If anyone wanted to only be friends. then it should be Kurt.

Did Blaine not like him anymore? They were supposed to be soul mates.

Right?

"And in second place..." the man's voice yelled, just the tiniest bit too loud.

"The New Directions!" Kurt gaped at the stage. The New Directions had just lost Sectionals for the first tie since they started.

The Warblers had won.

There was no way Blaine was transferring back to McKinley now.

"And in first place, the Warblers!" the man yelled again. Kurt watched as Blaine jumped and cheered, looking so happy. He hugged Trent and then Sebastian.

Seeing that, Kurt felt a flash of jealousy. But Blaine wasn't Sebastian's, he never would be.

Right?

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Blaine stiffened a tiny bit when Sebastian embraced him, but he didn't pull away. It was just a friendly hug, right? That's why it felt so... nice.

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Hey guys! I know this is late, but I'm in school again, and it's already hard (and it's only he second day!)

I'm going to die this year.

Please review! Sorry for any typos. I'm doing this on my iPad because my mum thinks I'm asleep...

Thanks to all my old reviewers!

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.


	15. The Decision

Tina stood completely still on the stage, frozen with a mix of shock and horror. They had... lost at Sectionals.

That had never happened before in the history of the New Directions.

Now, however the Warblers had beat them. Blaine had beat them. Tina felt a quick flash of anger; surely, had Blaine been preforming with them, then they would have won.

But he deserted them. Blaine left them to join the people that had nearly blinded them And what had they done? They had tried to hep him in any possible, and they had tried to get him to come back, to where he belonged.

Tina couldn't help but think that they had been wasting their time. Blaine hadn't ever even considered moving back. They had wasted precious time on Blaine and lost because of it. And, honestly, Tina didn't even think it was worth it. What had Blaine ever done for them?

He'd come from Dalton for a year, and he had been close to Kurt. They had been nice to him because of Kurt, and that was that.

And then Blaine cheated on Kurt, cheated on one of Glee's original members. Of course they were angry with him.

Blaine had run from his problems at McKinley, but of course, he had once said that that's all he ever does.

Tina was inclined to believe him. After all, she'd never really even seen Blaine stand up for himself. Even the issue with the steroids! Everyone else had thought Blaine was so amazing for not taking them and training his little group, when, in the end, he had ignored the problem with his other teammates.

Looking around her team, Tina saw disappointment and sadness etched on all of their faces. Her eyes met Marley who was nearly in tears.

She still looked too thin. After all, one real meal wasn't going to actually change anything. Blaine had been the one to tell her something was wrong.

Why had he done that? After all, New Directions would have been worse if Marley had been exhausted. That was what Blaine wanted. He had wanted them to lose.

Tina whipped her head around to glare at Blaine. When she saw him, she saw that his gaze was focused solely on the New Directions, within the New Directions. She glanced sideways and saw that he was staring at Sam.

Of course he was. Blaine still called Sam a friend, and Sam had tried so hard to "help" him, not that he truly needed it.

Sam's eyes were locked on Blaine's and both were wearing strange expressions. They were looking at each other sadly, but there was also something else in there eyes that Tina couldn't identify.

She knew that she had seen Blaine wearing that expression before but when?

As she watched, also glaring, Blaine blushed a bit and turned away. At first, the only thing Tina noticed was that his one cheek was a bit redder than the other, though both were rapidly getting darker. His cheek also looked a bit swollen as if he had been hit, but that was crazy.

Who would hit Blaine Perfect Anderson? Then she noticed something else from his blush,something that was much more interesting.

No... It couldn't be... Blaine seemed to have a little crush.

And from the look in Sam's eyes, it wasn't one-sided.

Oh, she could have fun with this. Blaine had messed up her only chance, as a senior, to win Nationals.

He would pay for that.

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Blaine walked off the stage with a bounce in his steps, surrounded by Warblers. They looked elated,even Hunter and obviously felt the ecstasy of preforming.

He loved it. Even when things went wrong, he still felt the rush of adrenaline that nothing else seemed to give him.

Blaine knew that they had been amazing, and even with the mess-up, they had still won.

The Warblers were going to Regionals! They hadn't done that last year. It hurt Blaine that most of the group thought they needed drugs to do it, but now that they had some time before Regionals, he could convince them not to use the steroids. After all, the New Directions (poor Sam) were now out of the picture.

They were going to do great this year, just like every other. Blaine felt a bit guilty for beating the New Directions, and consequently, some of his old friends.

However, it was a competition. He had beat many more of his friends last year, competing against the Warblers, even though they hadn't really been friends at that point.

Backstage, Hunter motioned for them to stop and huddle up.

"Okay," he said quietly. "We won. Barely. An unforgivable mistake was made tonight, and I do take some of the blame for it..."

"What do you mean?" someone said from behind Blaine. Blaine felt a shiver run don his back. Hunter was glaring fiercely at him. He was almost... scared, but that was ridiculous, right?

Holding a hand to his slightly swollen cheek, Blaine knew that it was ridiculous. Hunter had some insane 'roid rages.

"I let some people with sub-standard routines into the Warblers. We can't afford something like that happening again."

There were some murmured sounds of agreement. Blaine, slightly nervous, met Trent and David's eyes.

"That's why, next Warbler Meeting, you take the 'roids, or you leave. Take your choice."

"But-" Trent protested, eyes wide. Hunter silenced him with a glare.

"We tried this out, and I gave you a chance. You failed. Make your decisions."

"I - I'll do it," David said quietly. "Blaine, Trent, I'm sorry, but I can't lose the Warblers."

He hobbled away from Blaine to stand at Hunter's side.

"I'm out," Trent whispered. "I can't; I'm sorry. Blaine?"

"Blaine looked between Trent and Hunter. He didn't know what to do. Singing was his anchor; he couldn't just stop singing, but he also didn't want to take the drugs.

"I - I," he stuttered. Trent looked shocked that he was even considering doing them.

"I'll do it."

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**Hey. guys! I hope you like this chapter! I think that it's starting to get pretty crazy. What do you think? Will Blaine actually take the steroids? What's Tina going to do?**

**Please review!**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee! Or Darren. (Although, I think Darren would be an amazing friend. Yeah, I'm that weird fangirl that would rather be his best friend than his girlfriend. Not that he isn't extremely hot...)**


	16. The Drugs

Trent stared at Blaine, looking shocked and angry and so _disappointed_… Blaine found that he couldn't meet his eyes and averted his gaze.

"Blaine," he whispered. "What – why?"

"I – I can't give this up, Trent," he whispered, still looking down. "Sorry."

"Blaine, we have to talk," Trent said, still frowning. "Now." Blaine flinched back at the angry undertone of his voice.

"Okay," he breathed, taking a step towards Trent.

"Wait," Hunter said. "Just remember, Trent, in the end, this isn't your decision. It's Blaine, and it looks like he already made it."

Trent nodded once, looking even angrier at Hunter. Then he turned and, motioning towards Blaine, he walked away. Blaine trailed after him, looking up at the Warblers, David in particular. They stared at him in silence, even David, who looked like he was debating everything in his head.

Blaine looked back down on the floor and walked out, following Trent.

He stopped next to Trent, who turned and faced him, still wearing the scarily stony look on his face.

"Why, Blaine?" he said simply but conveyed so much hurt and sadness.

"I can't lose the Warblers, Trent. They're all I have…"

"You have me. And Kurt. And all of the New Directions."

"No! I don't have them. I'd have no one. Kurt hates me. He still hates me because he wanted to get back together, and I couldn't do it! I couldn't because I'm so fucked up, and I know it! And I can't do that to him…"

"You – you told him no?" Trent said. "But – but you've-"

"I don't know why," Blaine said. He laughed, nearly hysterically. "I don't know! No, I do. I know that I have no idea what I'm feeling. And I know that I can't break his heart if I realize that I don't love him anymore."

"Blaine, that was a good decision," Trent said, looking a bit surprised that Blaine had chosen to do that. "It will help if you guys are meant to be. But that doesn't mean that you're alone. I'm sure Kurt respects you for that!"

"I told him that I wanted to be friends until I graduate. That was so _stupid_. How could we be just friends? We were _never _just friends, and we never will be."

"It will be hard, Blaine," Trent said. "But that doesn't mean you should push him away. Why did you say you'll do the steroids?"

Blaine stared up at him, tears in his eyes, looking so lost.

"Because – because I need this. The Warblers – Nick, Jeff, everyone – are my friends, and I need every friend I can get right now."

"I understand your reasons, Blaine," Trent said. "I always knew that people liked to follow their friends and the stereotype. I just never realized you were one of those people."

Blaine froze and opened his mouth to say something, but Trent wasn't finished.

"I'm sorry, Blaine, but I must not know you as well as I thought I did if you're doing this."

Blaine flinched as if he had been hit. Trent was one of his best friends. He was one of those people that you thought you'd never lose. Of course, Blaine had thought Kurt was also one of those people. Everyone could betray you, given the chance.

"You – Trent…" Blaine stuttered. "I – I have to do this…"

"I thought you'd never say that," Trent said. "Wasn't this whole thing about us managing without the drugs or leaving? I thought that that was the reason we trained so hard, not so that Hunter could bully us into taking them later."

Blaine took a deep breath and swallowed hard. Then, forcing his face to look almost blank, he looked Trent in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, Trent," he said. "But I made my decision, and you won't change it. I'm going back –"

"You don't want to listen because you know you're wrong," Trent said, interrupting him. He wasn't right. Blaine wasn't running away. He didn't do that anymore.

Didn't he change?

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"Hunter?" Sebastian asked. Hunter had walked away from the celebrating Warblers, and Sebastian had followed him, out of earshot from the others.

"What?" Hunter snapped, seeming more annoyed than usual.

"Why are making them choose?" Sebastian asked bluntly.

"What are you talking about?" Hunter asked quietly. Sebastian felt a flash of anger run through him. Hunter knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Blaine," he spat out. "And the drugs. Why?"

"They almost messed everything up today," Hunter growled. "We could have lost."

"We didn't though," Sebastian pointed out. Hunter glared at him.

"It was too close," Hunter insisted. "There would have been no question if David hadn't fallen – if he had taken the steroids."

"It isn't right, Hunter," Sebastian said quietly. "They obviously don't want to do it-"

"I'm not forcing them to!" Hunter snapped. "If Blaine doesn't want to take them, then he can go back to his little public school!"

"He can't do that anymore!" Sebastian said, raising his voice. "He just beat them. They wouldn't accept him now. We're all he has."

"So he better take the drugs."

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The next morning, Blaine was walking towards the Choir Room, ready for the Warblers meeting. It was strange, walking there without Trent, but Trent had made his decision, and he had made his own.

There was no fucking way he could lose the Warblers.

They were the only friends he had. At the door, he didn't allow himself to pause. Blaine had chosen this. There was no way he'd run away from his decisions again…

He entered the room, seeing that most of the others were already there. Apparently, he had spent a little too much time debating in his room whether to come down or not.

"You're late," Hunter growled.

"What's it matter, Hunter," Sebastian said, looking annoyed. "He's here now." Hunter shot a glare at Sebastian before motioning Blaine over.

Blaine took a deep breath, breathing in and out before he started to follow Hunter over.

He wanted to stay in the Warblers.

They were his friends.

He could do this.

He had to do this.

Hunter held up the syringe, and Blaine felt a little bit of nausea rise in his throat as he looked at it.

Blaine took it into his right hand, then looked around. The other Warblers were staring at him.

"Um, how do I…?" he asked, a little bit sheepishly.

"You can just swallow it," one of the Warblers said. Blaine nodded slowly. That was easier said than done. He still felt like he was going to be sick.

Slowly, however, he raised the syringe and pushed the back in.

It fell into his mouth, and he swallowed, wincing a bit at the taste.

He had done it.

He had given in.

Wow, he was an idiot.

And looking around, he realized that he was in way over his head.

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**Hey guys!**

**I'm afraid I have some bad news. With my school schedule, I can't manage the two chapters every week. I promise one every Saturday, though, and I'll upload as often as possible on Tuesday. Who knows, maybe I'll get less busy… *cue hysterical laughing***

**And on another sad note, Wednesday makes it three months since I lost a friend of mine.**

**Kira: you always did strive to be unique, but why did you have to be the fourteen-year-old to die of a heart attack?**

**Please review! Blaine took the steroids! Oh no!**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee!**


	17. Collapse

Blaine looked around, looking at the other Warblers. He felt so… disgusting.

How could he have done that?

Why did he do that?

He was so _stupid_… Blaine had spent so, so much time trying to perfect the routine so it looked better than those who took the drugs.

…And yet, he had just taken them. He just defied every one of his morals. Well, not every single one of them, but he had certainly broken quite a few. He could imagine the New Directions looking at him as if he was anathema.

Blaine probably was anathema. After all, he had lead the Warblers to victory over the New Directions.

Of course they hated him.

Everyone hated him.

When he had come back to Dalton, he had expected to join the old Warblers again. Sure, he knew that Sebastian had changed them, but he hadn't expected them to be so, so different.

He had known they were as soon as Hunter mentioned the drugs that the Warblers had changed. And yet, he had stayed.

God, he was so _stupid_.

The old Warblers worried too much about defying old canons to really even try to change, and yeah, he would have liked to be a bit more… free back then, but now, he found that that was what he was truly longing for.

New Directions had been full of people stabbing others in the back for solos. That hadn't been for him. Cheating and lying certainly wasn't either.

Where did he even fit in?

The New Directions despised him; the Warblers had just convinced him to take drugs for God's sake…

There was honestly nowhere for him.

He had tried to commingle with the others. Hell, that was all he had ever done.

Blaine had tried to truly be himself, and it had come back and bitten him in the ass. Again.

And honestly, why was he so surprised?

After he came out, he went to a single dance and ended up in the hospital because of it. Dalton had been Hogwarts for him for quite a while. Then he faced the real world.

And when he returned, Hogwarts was gone, and there were only ruins of what it had been.

When had he ever believed he could fit in?

Even when he did have something great, he ruined it.

Always.

He was trembling as he still stood, not moving from the place he had taken the steroids.

Blaine couldn't help but look at the faces around him.

_(cold)_

He couldn't help but feel that

_(hate)_

they looked disappointed. After all,

_(stupid)_

he had been the one person fighting to keep the Warblers away from the steroids. He had given up

_(idiot)_

now. Blaine never had been able to deal with

_(ruined)_

commitment. Kurt proved that, didn't he? He had cheated

_(fool)_

on the one person who meant more than anything to him. And then Kurt forgave him

_(lucky)_

and what did he do? He said that he needed to think about it.

Blaine could feel his breathing speed up, and his heart was beating so, so fast. Everything was spinning, each Warbler's face flashing before his eyes.

_(cold)_

_(angry)_

_(disappointed)_

_(smug)_

_(horrified)_

_(shocked)_

He couldn't do this. Just standing there, in the middle of the Warblers, in the middle of all those that were so angry or disappointed with him…

Blaine felt sick. He had to get out, but his legs refused to really move. Instead, they just seemed to be frozen, unable to move, shaking ever so slightly. He noticed that everything around him seemed warped and broken.

Even the other Warbler's noxious faces seemed twisted and unreal. He couldn't help but be curious. What was happening?

Blaine could feel a buzzing in his ears. He tried to shake his head a bit, to get the feeling out, but it only got stronger. Then, seemingly one by one, the Warblers were gone.

They were leaving him.

_(hated him)_

_(why would they stay?)_

Were they really just gone? Blaine felt the slight sensation of wind rushing past his face before everything else seemed to disappear.

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Sam was in Glee practice when he felt his phone began to buzz. Pulling it out, he glanced at the caller ID. He frowned when he saw the name. Blaine was calling him? Why?

"Guys, I need to take this," he said, standing and walking from the room abruptly, leaving a few shocked faces behind him.

"Hello?" Sam said into his phone.

"Um, hi," a slightly timid voice said. "This is Trent, from Dalton."

"Blaine's friend," Sam said, frowning slightly. "Why do you have Blaine's phone?"

"I, um, I think Blaine needs your help," Trent said. "He-"

"What happened?" Sam demanded. "Is something wrong?"

"Hunter told us that we had to make a choice – take the steroids or leave the Warblers, and Blaine-"

"Did he leave the Warblers?" Sam said, feeling a flash of sadness. He knew that Blaine had been hoping for a new start at Dalton. It hurt Sam to see that that hadn't happened.

"No, he – he took the drugs."

"What!" Sam demanded. "He said he wouldn't! I never thought he'd- Why?"

"Because he thought New Directions would hate him now, and he didn't want to lose the Warblers too."

"So he took _steroids_ to fit in? Since when has Blaine done that?" Sam said, not realizing just how loud his voice was.

"That's not all," Trent said with a sigh. "I wasn't there – I'm out of the Warblers – but Blaine apparently had a… meltdown or something. He collapsed after he took the steroids. David told me it was bad. He just stood in front of the other Warblers, and he started shaking and crying before he… collapsed."

"Is he okay?" Sam asked worriedly.

"He hasn't woken up yet, but I think it's just because he's been so stressed. I think he's really just asleep."

"I'm coming there now," Sam said. "I – I need to make sure he's alright."

"Thanks, Sam," Trent said. "Blaine really needs a friend right now."

"I'm on my way," Sam promised and hung up.

He turned back, intending to reenter the Choir Room. Looking around, he saw the majority of the glee club staring at him. Tina was the first to say something.

"What the hell? Blaine took the steroids?" she snapped. Sam shot her a glare.

"Look, it really isn't your business-"

"Blaine was our friend, too, Sam," Tina said. "We have every right to know."

"I'm sorry, but you don't. Now, I'm leaving to go to Dalton. Blaine needs me there." Sam grabbed his bag and began to walk away.

"You know, Sam, if you keep sneaking out to see Blaine, people are going to start to think you're gay, too."

Sam turned around, slightly shocked by her words.

"What?" she asked, feigning surprise. "He has such a crush on you. It's sad, really."

Sam took a deep breath.

"Tina," he paused for a moment. "I couldn't care less about what they think of me. Right now, my friend needs help, and I'm going to help him."

"So it doesn't bother you? Make you uncomfortable?"

"No," Sam said. "Blaine is one of my best friends. Crush or not, he means something to me. You know, you wanted to know what's going on. Maybe you would if you were actually his friend."

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**Go Sam! But Tina's not done yet!**

**Tell me what you think? What's happened to Blaine? Will he be okay?**

**So, some good news! One chapter a week is too little for me. I forget to write. So, I'm going to promise a Saturday chapter and another chapter a week, but I won't have a set day for it.**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**


	18. Affects

Sam turned from Tina, already running out of the room.

"Hey, dude!" someone shouted behind him. Angry and feeling like he was already late, he whipped around.

"What?" he yelled. "What could you possibly, _possibly_ need _right_ now that can't wait?" Jake was standing there. Sam felt a little bad for yelling at him, but honestly, he needed to leave.

"You should take Kurt to see Blaine," Jake said.

"_What?" _Sam said. He didn't know what he had been expecting but that certainly wasn't it.

"Blaine needs people right now, man. Everyone he can. We shouldn't go – we haven't exactly been supportive, and I get that. But Kurt's been there for him before."

"I – you're right," Sam said. "I'll call Kurt."

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"Hello?" Kurt said quietly, holding up a finger for Rachel to be quiet. He had just gotten a call from Sam. Truthfully, Kurt had been hoping that Blaine would call him.

He couldn't believe that he'd kissed Blaine again, kissed the love of his life again, and that Blaine had the audacity to say that he wanted to stay friends for a bit.

Yeah, Kurt knew first hand that long-distance relationships were hard, but that didn't mean they couldn't make it. After all, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

They could have done it.

"Hey, Kurt," Sam's voice said. "It's Sam. I'm going out to Dalton because something's happened with Blaine-"

"Is he all right?" Kurt immediately blurted out. "Is he okay? What happened?"

"I – I think he's alright, at least physically, but I was wondering if you wanted to come-"

"Of course, Sam," Kurt interrupted again.

"Great," Sam said. "I'll explain when I get there. It should be about ten minutes. Thank you, Kurt."

Kurt held the phone at his ear for a few moments after Sam hung up.

Sam had sounded rushed and concerned and everything one friend should sound for another.

However, his last words had surprised Kurt. He'd said thank you. Sam said it in a quiet, meaningful tone that Kurt had almost never heard him use before.

Why?

Kurt understood that Sam and Blaine were close friends. Actually, he knew that Sam was probably the only person – excluding himself hopefully– from McKinley that Blaine still trusted. So of course Sam cared for Blaine.

And Sam's concern was worrying Kurt. Kurt had so many different situations flying through his head.

Sam had said that Blaine was okay physically.

What did that mean?

Had something happened? Did Hunter do something?

Kurt felt like an idiot for doing nothing to keep Hunter away from Blaine. After all, he'd seen Hunter hit Blaine, in the face.

Why had he done nothing?

Kurt grabbed his jacket and wallet, preparing for the ride to Dalton. Blaine needed him. Honestly, he wished that Blaine had called _him_ instead of Sam about whatever was wrong.

Although he did appreciate that Sam had called him. Kurt _knew_ that he wanted to part of Blaine's life again.

He loved Blaine.

And he was sure that, deep inside, Blaine loved him.

They were soul mates.

Hadn't they always been? From the moment they met, they knew that what they had was special.

That didn't mean that they didn't fight or that there weren't misunderstandings.

It just meant that they could make it through them.

The doorbell rang, and Kurt leaped up from where he'd been waiting, tearing the door open. Sam was standing there, fiddling his hands and look nervous.

"Hi, Kurt," he said, but Kurt could easily see that Sam's thoughts were miles away – at Dalton, most likely. Kurt wasn't offended; he knew that there was no way he could hold a real conversation without spacing out, either.

"What happened to Blaine?" Kurt demanded as they walked towards the car.

"Hunter told them – you know, Blaine, Trent, and the other guy – that they had to take the steroids or leave the Warblers."

Kurt swallowed hard. Blaine had had to leave the Warblers. No wonder he wanted his friends – true friends - with him.

"Oh no," Kurt said quietly. "Do you think he'll be okay without them?"

"What?" Sam asked, looking confused. "Oh, oh no, man. Blaine didn't quit. Trent did – he's the one that called me. Blaine took the drugs…"

"Blaine took the –" Kurt repeated, shocked. "But I thought…"

"I know," Sam agreed. "I can't imagine him agreeing to something like that."

"Why?" Kurt said, his voice quiet.

"I don't know," Sam sighed. "But I'm – _we're_ – going to find out because Blaine is our friend – or more – and we need to help him."

"Definitely," Kurt agreed. "You know, I'm surprised the New Directions didn't all demand to come."

Sam shifted uncomfortably for a moment, and Kurt looked at him, wondering why he seemed on edge.

"I was sorta short with them – well, with Tina. They haven't all been the nicest to Blaine since he left, and Tina had the nerve to- never mind."

"No, Sam, tell me," Kurt said, anger beginning to rush through him. No wonder Blaine had felt alone. The New Directions were supposed to make others feel at home when they didn't have one in the horror that was high school. They weren't supposed to make people feel alone, even when they did things the Club didn't approve of.

After all, Glee Club was supposed to be about _family_.

"Tine told me…" Sam paused and cleared his throat awkwardly. "That Blaine had an obvious crush on me, and people would think that I was gay if I kept hanging out with him."

"What?" Kurt shouted, his anger pushed over the edge. Hell, his anger was long past the edge. For nice, caring Tina, of all people, to imply that gay people couldn't be friends with straight guys was ridiculous. "I can't believe that that bitch would say something like that!"

"I know," Sam agreed, clenching the steering wheel a bit harder with fury. "I told her that Blaine's one of my best friends, and that I don't care in the slightest. Honestly, I think Blaine just wants someone to love him, but he still feels a bit guilty about what happened with you."

Kurt felt a flash of pain in his chest when Sam mentioned the cheating. Yeah, it still hurt, though it was much more muted. Now, Kurt was ready to make new memories with Blaine that would cover up – not erase – and allow both he and Blaine a chance to make things right.

Sam continued driving, and they talked about some stupid, pointless things, neither able to tear their thoughts away from Blaine.

Neither able to forget the boy that charmed his way into their hearts.

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Trent closed Blaine's door almost silently. He'd spent a good thirty minutes after calling Sam (which he still felt an annoying guilt about even though he knew he'd done it to help Blaine) staring at Blaine creepily while he slept.

Now, however, he knew that Blaine was only sleeping, and he honestly felt so messed up for staring at his friend for so long.

He glanced at Blaine one more time, hearing his cough softly as he closed the door.

Would he have waited ten more seconds, he would have realized the coughing wasn't stopping.

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**Hey, guys! How's it going!**

**I hope you like this chapter! I'm a bit angry right now, and I'm worried it affected my writing. I have a B in AP Psych that I really want to get to an A, and we have to do a group project.**

**Normally, I'd be excited, as it seems like it'll be interesting. However, I'm paired with two girls that have Ds in the class, and I'm honestly terrified that they'll screw it up.**

**So, what do you think? What's wrong with Blaine? Warning: I had to do medical research for what is to come! Please review!**

**Thanks to all my old readers, reviewers, followers, and favouriters!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee!**


	19. Just Breathe

"Sam!" Trent greeted, seeing the familiar blonde enter Dalton's doors. He had decided to wait for Sam down there. After all, the New Directions never had learned where Blaine's dorm was. Behind Sam, Kurt entered, looking around both worried and nervous.

"Oh! Kurt!" Trent said. "It's nice to see you again." Trent was surprised that Kurt was here, but honestly, he shouldn't have been.

It was obvious that both boys still felt something for each other. Maybe Kurt had finally talked it out with Blaine. Trent knew that Blaine still missed Kurt – he was just too stubborn to admit it.

"Trent?" Kurt said. "How's Blaine doing?"

"He hasn't woken up yet. We aren't in his dorm because it seemed a little creepy to be standing over him as he slept, and he looked like he needed to sleep for a while."

"No one's with him! What about his roommate?" Kurt demanded.

"We figured that Sebastian was the last person Blaine would want to see when he woke up, so…" Trent trailed off, seeing Kurt's face grow red with anger.

"Sebastian! He's rooming with _Sebastian_, of all people?" Trent sighed. He knew that Kurt was justifiably angry – after all, Sebastian had almost really hurt Blaine, but now was _not_ the time for it.

"You can't pick your roommate, Kurt," Trent said. "Do you want to go up or not?"

"Of course I do," Kurt said quickly, his fury replaced with concern. Trent was shocked by the quick transformation. Of course, Kurt had probably become angry so quickly because he was so nervous.

Trent led both the boys upstairs. As he was leading them, silent, as Trent knew that both boys would want to just think for a bit, Jeff ran up to him.

"Trent! Thank God I found you! Something's wrong with Blaine!" In his haste, he didn't even notice Kurt and Sam.

"What happened? Is he okay?" Trent immediately demanded.

"I don't know!" Jeff said, gasping as if he'd been sprinting around Dalton. If something was up with Blaine, then he probably had been. "You locked the door and kept Sebastian's key. We can't get in!" Trent gasped.

Why had keeping the other boys from bothering Blaine seemed like such a good idea?

"Jeff, get the nurse. Tell her everything. We'll go up and see what's wrong."

"We?" Jeff echoed. For the first time, he seemed to notice Kurt and Sam. "Oh! Hi, Kurt! Hi… kid from McKinley whose name I should know because you're one of Blaine's friends! Bye!" And suddenly, Jeff was hurtling down the stairs towards the nurse.

"I swear that boy keeps getting crazier," Trent muttered. "Come on, let's go!"

Trent was sure that Jeff was overreacting. He'd been known to do that, so sending Jeff to the nurse was more of a way to calm him down than anything else. Trent didn't know what Jeff could possibly have heard that made it seem as if Blaine wasn't okay.

What happened to Blaine was purely mental after all. Trent could recognize a panic attack. He'd seen them before, and, from what he heard, that's what Blaine looked like.

Trent was a little angry that no one had caught Blaine when he collapsed, but everyone had been a bit shocked, so he couldn't blame them.

At the very most, Jeff could have heard Blaine crying. Actually, that was pretty likely. Blaine had made a bad decision, and he knew it.

As much as Trent wanted to think that Blaine would be okay with what had happened, he knew that that wouldn't be the case.

Trent saw that Kurt was looking extremely worried, so he began walking a bit faster. For one, it would put Kurt's mind at rest.

It would also help Blaine to have his friends there if he was upset.

Trent reached Blaine's door and unlocked it quickly. Kurt nearly shoved him out of the way as he threw himself over the threshold.

"Blaine!" he heard Kurt gasp. Trent became aware of a buzzing sound. Concerned, he looked at the bed. Blaine wasn't in it.

He stepped inside, following Sam.

As soon as he saw Blaine, he realized that the buzzing sound was coming from him. He was wheezing.

Blaine was on his hands and knees with Kurt crouching next to him, looking terrified and unsure. Trent saw that Blaine was halfway between the door and his bed. It almost looked as if he'd been trying to get out of the room before he collapsed.

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Blaine didn't know what had happened. Suddenly, he was awake, coughing desperately. It was terrible; he could feel the wind rushing through his constricted throat. He tried to suck a breath in, and to his horror, found that the air wasn't cooperating.

Blaine had to be breathing, right? After all, he was coughing. That was a good sign?

He pushed himself up to a sitting position, wincing as he felt a small – too small – amount of air enter his lungs.

What the hell was wrong? He remembered being with the Warblers…

Oh God. The steroids.

Immediately, despite what was happening, he felt his eyes tear up and his breathing become even more desperate.

No! Calm down, he chanted in his mind. He needed to figure out what was going on. Why wasn't the air working?

"Blaine!" someone yelled. Blaine looked over at the doorway, wondering why it seemed hazy. In fact, it almost seemed to be rippling under his gaze.

Shit. That was the problem. What – what had he learned? If you could see air, then it was poisonous.

He was in a room full of poisonous gas.

He had to get out.

Blaine tried to answer, but a long wheeze and a coughing fit erupted from his chest. He placed his hand on his shaking chest, over the blanket.

Feeling as if it was suffocating him, he moved his hands desperately, trying to brush it off. It was stopping the air. He had to breathe. Finally, he managed to tear it off of him, but he couldn't breathe any easier.

"Blaine!" the same voice yelled again. He saw the door handle rattle. "Can you unlock the door for me!" Blaine swung his legs over the side and let out a weak cough.

At least he wasn't coughing as badly. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was so dry. There was a constant wheeze emerging from his mouth, and he couldn't seem to get it to stop.

He stood, and the world twisted around him. Trying to ignore it, he stumbled forward and fell to his knees.

"Blaine!" the voice cried again. The door rattled again, but Blaine only heard it. Everything was hazy, and the colours were off. At least it had stopped spinning.

He placed his hand on his chest, trying to rise to his feet. There wasn't any air. He couldn't breathe.

Suddenly, the door seemed like it was trapping him in the room. And the room had no air. He had to get there.

Blaine had to open the door. He tried to rise to his feet, using the bedpost for support. The door seemed so far away.

Blaine had never realized the dorm was so big. In fact, he could remember complaining about the size. There was something pressing on his chest as he took a small step. He faltered as everything twisted. Closing his eyes, he tried to take a deep breath, but breathing in like that only made him start coughing again.

There was a fuzzy feeling that was settling in his head. It was a small buzzing. He tried to shake his head, but as soon as he moved it, the room twisted again. What was happening?

He tried to step forward, propelling himself towards the door. Blaine swallowed, managing to get a lump of saliva down his throat. It burned his swollen throat and didn't make it easier to breath.

He couldn't breathe.

What was happening?

Stumbling a few more steps, he realized that the wheeze was growing quieter. But he still couldn't breathe, and the ache in his chest wasn't leaving.

In fact, Blaine was pretty sure that there was less air. The room was still trapping him with the bad air. What else could it be? The sir wasn't working. There wasn't enough of it.

He fell again, halfway between the door and the bed. He tried to pull himself off the ground, getting to his knees when the door was flung open.

"Blaine!" It was a different voice this time. He was sure he knew this voice, but he couldn't place it – he could hardly hear it over the buzzing in his ears.

The voice's owner raced over, dropping to the ground next to him. Blaine tried – he really did! – to warn him about the bad air.

But he couldn't. Instead, he reached a shaky hand up towards the blurry shape. The shape was breathing loudly and quickly – Blaine could hear it.

He was using even more of the good air! They couldn't afford that. They were trapped.

The air was running out. Pain was exploding through his chest.

No.

Please, he begged silently, tears dripping down his cheeks.

Please. Stop using the air. He needed it. So badly.

And he couldn't get it.

It wasn't working.

Nothing was working.

His hand fell to the ground again, not having the strength to see the blurry face.

The wheeze grew even quieter.

No.

The pain grew worse.

The light grew dimmer.

And then everything was gone.

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**Hey, guys! Welcome to your regularly-scheduled Saturday update! Enjoy and tell me your thoughts!**

**I have a confession. This chapter's been done since Monday, but I didn't like it, so I waited until I spend a long time reading over it and changed like three lines.**

**I'm still not completely happy with it.**

**Please review!**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee!**


	20. Rise and Fall

"Call 911! Someone!" Kurt screamed, finding himself unable to pull his phone out of his pocket.

Instead, he clutched Blaine's hand in both of his. Blaine was still struggling to breathe, lying there on the floor.

Kurt wasn't crying. Why?

It was so surreal. Blaine couldn't be lying there, unable to breathe, right?

One doesn't even have to think about breathing. It just happens. Therefore, it had to happen.

Right?

What the hell was happening?

Kurt had thought he'd have to comfort Blaine. He didn't expect to find him lying half-dead on the floor.

What was wrong with him?

In his mind, he had seen Blaine crying and so, so upset with his own decision.

Now, Kurt could see tear tracks on Blaine's cheeks, but he knew that they were borne from desperation and fear, not regret.

Blaine must have been terrified.

All alone, unable to breathe. No wonder he had tried to get out the door.

Hell, Kurt commended him for even having the ability to connect his mind with his body long enough to almost get out when he was obviously panicking.

In the background, above the pounding in his ears, he could hear Trent talking on the phone.

Kurt tried to understand what he was saying, but it sounded like a low murmur, and he couldn't understand it.

"Blaine?" he pleaded, putting a hand on the boy's chest. It was rising and falling rapidly, but it wasn't moving much. In fact, he could hardly feel it moving at all.

That was bad. Kurt had expecting to see Blaine fighting mental demons. Instead, he was warring with physical problems.

He couldn't breathe. Something had been wrong. Kurt had seen the fear in Blaine's gaze when he stepped in the room. Blaine had been on the ground and wheezing loudly and terribly.

Kurt knew that Blaine had been panicking, and in retrospect, that probably hadn't been a good idea.

It probably made his breathing even faster and even shallower. That would have definitely added to the problem.

"Please, Blaine," Kurt begged, clenching Blaine's unresponsive hand in his own. Blaine's eyes stayed closed. Kurt wished that he'd give some sign of knowing that Kurt was there. However, he knew that was irrational.

Blaine had already been so out of it when he entered… In fact, Blaine hadn't even seemed to register his presence.

Did he know that Kurt was there for him? Kurt suddenly clutched at his hand even more desperately. Tears began to gather in the corners of his eyes, but still, they did not fall.

In fact, he was watching Blaine with a strange clarity, as if it was truly only a TV show or something like that.

"Blaine," Kurt repeated. "Blaine! Please!"

Kurt didn't know what he was asking Blaine to do.

To wake up?

To not get worse?

Kurt paled as the thought crossed his head. What if Blaine got even worse?

What if Blaine died?

"Blaine," Kurt gasped as tears finally began running down his face. "I love you. Please, Blaine."

Kurt was feeling sick. His hands were clammy and his stomach hurt, but none of that mattered.

When had he last told Blaine he loved him?

Oh, right.

It had been before Blaine had told him he wanted to just be friends for a while.

Blaine had told Kurt he loved him, too.

Kurt was suddenly reminded of what the New Directions had been singing right before he'd told Blaine that.

"_Like a drum my heart never stops beating..."_

_That wasn't true._

_Blaine was lying there, and he was hardly breathing._

_His heart could stop beating._

_Blaine could die._

_He wasn't breathing._

_Kurt didn't know what to do. Blaine looked so small lying there. Before, he had been wheezing, but now he hardly made a sound._

_Kurt wanted to believe that was a good thing, but now, Blaine's chest was rising even less for each breath._

_"I love you long after you're gone, gone, gone…"_

And Kurt would.

Blaine had left his life for a while, and he had been miserable.

For a while, he tried to drown his sorrows out with Adam, but it never had been the same. Kurt had wanted Blaine.

He just didn't want to recognize that.

Now, Kurt wished desperately that he could go back into the past. Blaine deserved more – much more – than being ignored for so long.

No wonder Blaine had left McKinley. No wonder Blaine had been so afraid of losing his friends that he took an illegal drug to fit in.

Blaine just hadn't wanted anyone else to abandon him.

He didn't want any more Kurts in his life.

In fact, that was also why Blaine had wanted to just be friends.

What had he said?

That he wanted to wait until graduation?

Blaine had been terrified that they wouldn't make it if they tried to do long distance again.

He had thought that they would fall apart, and that Kurt would ignore him again. So he did whatever he could to keep that from reoccurring.

Looking down at Blaine's form, still shuddering slightly with each forced breath, Kurt realized something.

Well, he didn't really realize it.

In fact, he thought that he always knew it. No, instead, he _recognized_ it.

Blaine wasn't perfect. Kurt's old illusion of a perfect boyfriend wasn't true.

No, Blaine had many faults, and Kurt knew of each and every single one.

And that's how he knew he loved Blaine.

Because even when Blaine messed up or they fought, even when he felt he couldn't stand to be near Blaine or that he was going to die, he knew that he still loved him.

Kurt had spent quite a while deluding himself that Blaine was only a high school thing.

No, Blaine was forever.

However, staring down at Blaine's still body, Kurt wasn't sure if that was true.

He would love Blaine forever, but suddenly, he wasn't all that sure if Blaine would be there for forever.

Suddenly, Kurt wasn't sure if he'd even be there tomorrow.

Because the hand he had on Blaine's chest wasn't moving anymore.

It wasn't quivering.

It wasn't rising or falling.

At all.

With a scary clarity, Kurt knew.

Blaine wasn't breathing.

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**Hey, guys! I'm so sorry this is late! Life's been pitching some curve balls at me, and I'm struggling to deal with them!**

**So, tell me what you think!**

**Please review!**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Glee or Darren Criss.**


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